Forget the Politics, Give to Komen for a Cure

Six weeks after our sons Albert and Lennon were born ,my wife Deneen went for a postpartum checkup. What they found was a lump in her right breast. Within weeks it was diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma, another way of saying breast cancer. What followed was a lumpectomy, 16 weeks of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation , and 18 months of a drug called Herceptin. She’s currently on a drug called tamoxifen which blocks her body from producing estrogen. During this ordeal she lost all her hair an a considerable amount of weight.

Keep in mind this is all happening while she is raising newborn twins and working as a physical therapist.. We never would have known of it hadn’t been for the twins. I’ll never forget the words of the late sportscaster Gary Pappa who told me ‘She gave them life and they turned around and gave it right back to her” Pappa lost his own battle with prostate cancer on June 19th 2009. Thank God Deneen has been testing well.

For the last 5 years, every Mother’s Day, we have participated in the Philadelphia “Race for the Cure” It was an unforgettable moment for us when Pa Governor Ed Rendell announced Deneen cutting the cake that would start the event.

Sunday attendance was down at the The Komen “Race For The Cure” in East Orange.

These people do the work of angels, providing a full range of treatment, screenings, and support services including a Universty Hospital bus that drives around Essez County providing free mammograms, breast exams and Pap smears to the uninsured.

Regardless of what you’re politics are, these people desperately need your help. You see cancer really doesn’t have a view point, it’s an equal opportunity invader. This year, while Deneen celebrates Mother’s Day with our children, her friend Tracy, who she met and befriended at chemo, passed away last week and leaves behind a 5 year old boy. When you finish hugging your children, please remember the race, both in your prayers and your wallet.