Family is the backbone of Market America; it was because of family that this company began, and it is through family that we continue to be successful. In every family there are stories that touch the heart, stories of courage, and stories of hope. Our family here at Market America is no exception to this, and last week I had the honor of sharing some time with five remarkable women, all of whom are an important part of the Market America family, and all of whom have an amazing story to tell.
I learned that Breast Cancer is an awful disease, more so than I ever could have imagined. It has the ability to devastate families and take away lives. And in our family, we’ve had five women courageously fight this disease with strength, determination and love.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and in an effort to raise awareness Market America and Motives by Loren Ridinger held a special event last week in Greensboro. Five of our Market America family members – Julie Carlson, Lisa Grogan, Janet Finney, Viki Matthews, and Lisa Winkler gathered to share their survival stories. Each of these women bravely battled breast cancer and beat it.
They’re stories of shock and sadness, but more importantly determination and perseverance. We had our fair share of laughs, and a few good cries. They spoke of the challenges they overcame, and of how they will use their experiences to inspire and lead others.
They know what others who have been through this terrible disease and survived realize – that anything can be accomplished through love and belief, and it’s the support of those that love you when you need it the most that helps turn the darkest of days inside out. All of these women have fought this fight, survived, and will always be a part of our family here at Market America.
Join us as we share their courageous stories in the coming weeks here on the Market America blog. If you would like more information on breast cancer, please visit the American Cancer Society’s website: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/index
My Mom lost her battle with breast cancer 12/18/2009. She lived 15 years past her diagnosis and surgery for stage 4 breast cancer, hiding the fact that her cancer had spread to her bones for the last 4 years, then to her liver. Her much younger tennis partners were in disbelief; she had the best serve amongst all of them, despite being the oldest…and this was while getting treatment for bone cancer. She hid her breast cancer that spread then to her liver until her favorite holiday had passed…Thanksgiving. She seemed fine, enjoyed the family and all our kids…She was gone in three weeks.
I had 3 girlfriends who had surgery due to breast cancer last year, so I ran 5K on their bahalf to raise fund for breast cancer research. It is more common than we like to believe. I made an appointment next week for my annual checkup. Let’s all do our part to spread the awareness.