Reality Rally

 

It was the second immunity challenge for Survivor Millennials VS Gen-X called, ‘The Ocean’. The day I jumped off the platform for my hero moment, I plunged into the ocean carrying the emotional leftovers of cancer with me.

 Swimming to the surface something happened, I couldn’t have verbalized it at the time, but later it became crystal clear. I jumped in that day a woman still carrying breast cancer with me and came out of the water a new person, someone finally free of something that had consumed by life for the past 4 years. I left the emotional baggage of breast cancer in the waters of Fiji.

Lets go back to the beginning of Sunday's poweful story.

It was the second immunity challenge for Survivor Millennials VS Gen-X called, ‘The Ocean’. I remember Jeff Probst explaining the challenge and pointing out that a particular during the challenge task would earn one a hero moment. It was at that very moment I decided to make sure I was one of the tribe members jumping off the floating platform about 10 feet high. Even though I was scared out of my mind, mostly afraid of doing poorly in the challenge, I swam, climbed, jumped and swam again as quickly as I could. Gen-X would prevail that day; our first immunity challenge win was under our belts.
For most of my tribe, it was simply a win, a way to avoid tribal council. For me however, it was much more, it was symbolic. What the others didn’t know was that I had been tracking the days, to the best of my ability, since the game began. This particular day, according to my calculations, was the same day just 4 years earlier that I had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Before the challenge I poured my heart out in a private confessional, knowing a win would mean a personal victory for me.

Many people have a good understanding of the physical toll breast cancer takes on a person, but have no idea there is a great deal of emotional and mental baggage that accompanies the disease. A nurse called on April 11th, 2012 to give me the news, “You have Invasive, Ductile Carcinoma” she said. In the months following the diagnosis I had 7 surgeries, 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 28 days of radiation. While these were necessary in the treatment of the disease, they did not addressthe emotional roller coaster I was about to ride

. I was 45 and about to face the challenge of my life, for my life.

As if being chosen to play this amazing game weren’t enough, I was able to experience something on an entirely different level, something more than simply being on a reality television show. The day I jumped off the platform for my hero moment, I plunged into the ocean carrying the emotional leftovers of cancer with me. Swimming to the surface something happened, I couldn’t have verbalized it at the time, but later it became crystal clear. I jumped in that day a woman still carrying breast cancer with me and came out of the water a new person, someone finally free of something that had consumed by life for the past 4 years. I left the emotional baggage of breast cancer in the waters of Fiji.
Playing Survivor not only fulfilled a long time dream of mine, but it also gave me the chance to ditch anxiety, depression and other negative’s I faced in the after-math of cancer.

My experience has given me a passion to help other women and families dealing with this disease. Breast cancer is awful to fight; the only thing worse is trying to fight it alone. Having the emotional and financial support of others is critical to the recovery process.

This is why I am so excited to participate in this years’ Reality Rally supporting Michelle’s Place, Breast Cancer Resource Center.

Their mission "Let no one face cancer alone"

My hope is that the women receiving care and support from Michelle’s Place will have their ‘hero moment’ right in their own homes.

Sunday is raising funds for Michelle's Place to help many women have their own "Hero Moment." She is having a great event to raise funds "Supper and Chat with Sunday" on January 15th ....wow, check this out and attend.  https://www.facebook.com/events/732837966865440/

YOU can be a HERO today in one of 3 ways.

Buy your ticket to  buy your ticket to attend Supper and Chat with Sunday through her Facebook event.  Tickets to Supper and Chat with Sunday. Click here

Donate to her fund so Michelle's Place can help "no one face cancer alone" Sunday's Fundraiser click here. 

Or text your donation. 

 

Video made for Sunday by one of her fans, Brandon Nelson