I am honored to be selected as one of this year’s Women in Blue for 2025 and help raise funds and awareness for Colon Cancer.

Cancer is a word that carries so much weight for me and my family. It isn’t just a disease—it’s a thief that has stolen far too much from us. Over the years, I’ve lost multiple family members to this relentless illness, each loss carving a permanent scar on my heart. It feels as though cancer doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed; it ripples through the lives of everyone who loves them.

My earliest memory of cancer’s impact was when my great-grandmother was diagnosed. She was the rock of our family, always so strong, so invincible in my eyes. Not really understanding what she was going through and what cancer really was at that young age broke something in me. When she passed, it felt like the foundation of our family crumbled.

But cancer wasn’t finished with us. It kept returning, targeting my other relatives, like my uncles, aunts, cousins and my brother-in-law, one by one, as if it were determined to test the limits of our resilience. Each diagnosis brought fear and heartbreak, but it also brought a fight. I watched my family rally together, offering every ounce of love and support we could muster. Yet, the losses still came, each one feeling like another piece of me was being ripped away.

The grief is a constant companion, but so is the determination to honor their memories. Losing so many loved ones has taught me to cherish the time I have with those who remain, to speak love while I can, and to fight for a world where fewer families endure this pain.

Cancer has deeply affected how I view life. It has forced me to confront mortality in ways I never thought I’d have to. But it has also made me appreciate the strength of the human spirit, the strength I saw in my family as they fought, in myself as I grieved, and in others who share this journey. Their battles weren’t just losses; they were lessons in resilience, in love, and in the importance of holding on to hope, no matter how fragile it may feel.

I carry my loved ones’ memories with me every day, their smiles and laughter echoing in my heart even as the pain of their absence lingers. And while cancer has taken so much, it will never take the love, the lessons, and the legacy they left behind.

Thank you to Cancer Wellness Foundation for all your support to my family over the years, for every act of service, every life you’ve touched, and every family you’ve supported. You are truly making a difference, and for that, my heart is full of gratitude.