Finding a New Cause

Before I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I had a few things that I advocated for: suicide prevention, breast cancer awareness, etc. I have participated in a few Susan G. Komen events, once as a walker. My motto was "I walk because I can" and today, I cannot fathom walking even a mile.

We very sadly have lost a few people over the years and we walked in their memory. In my 20s, I worked for a big box electronics retailer, and we would often volunteer for events in the local community. This was my first experience walking in the Breathe Deep events. I didn't know at the time that the cause would end up being near and dear to my heart.

Expanding my advocacy

Now that I am ten years past my initial diagnosis, I am branching back out to different causes. I have been an avid lung cancer advocate for years now, and I am still very much an advocate, but I feel I can also focus on other causes.

The first one is helping out our local humane foundation. In June of this year, we opened our home to a foster pup named Paul. I had always wanted to help out in some capacity, whether it was by donations or whatnot.

A post was made on the Facebook page that stated that fosters were needed, and I filled out the application. They initially wanted to have me foster 2 cats.

We adopted our Lexi from them, so I was okay with that. However, the cats would need each litter box and be separated because I did not know if they carried any disease, and since I already had a cat, we didn't want to get her sick.

We ended up passing on the cats because I simply did not have the room in my home for that. They contacted me about Paul, and I went and picked him up.

He was so very shy and stayed by the front door for about an hour before he finally felt comfortable moving further into the house. He warmed up fairly quickly to my pups. He has come a long way and I cannot wait until he finds his forever home!

Fundraising for causes close to my heart

The second new cause that I have dedicated some time to is fundraising for the Dear Jack Foundation. The Dear Jack Foundation was founded by my favorite artist, Andrew McMahon. He was diagnosed 19 years ago with AML.

He found the foundation to help young adult and adolescent cancer survivors work their way back into society after finishing treatment. This is a foreign idea for someone who is stage IV, but I digress.

One of the programs that they fund is called the LifeList. I was fortunate enough to have been given a LifeList grant in 2022, so fundraising for them is a no-brainer. I have a team called Team October, and we have just over $700!

Continuing my lung cancer advocacy

Lung cancer advocacy is still very important to me because we are still not far enough advanced, and there are not enough long-term survivors speaking up about the cause. It is important, though, to stand up for causes that speak to your heart.