Fighting the Good Fight

We did it. We made the 5km route without incident, with only a little pain in my broken toe and with a whole lot of sunshine on our path. God is good. The forecast was for some nasty rain but as was the focus of our prayer, the sun smiled on us.

Our trek to Barrie was worthwhile as Amanda and I, along with Jocelyn and Trenton completed our journey in the Winners Walk of Hope once again this year.
As expected, it was an emotional day and to be suddenly surrounded by so many people who wanted to make a difference, well, that was one giant memory forever etched on my hard drive! And as added icing on the cake, yours truly was flabbergasted to discover I was the winner once again for the individual raising the most funds. After I got over the shock, I was invited to waltz on over to the prize table and claim my prize. Assorted temptations beckoned but I soon settled for the $100 gift certificate from Winners or Homesense (which happens to be my favourite store.) When it comes time for my shopping trip I plan to take my happy hubby along since he was the one who asked many people to donate to the cause! I am sure I wouldn't have reached my goal if it wasn't for him prowling around after church some Sundays with clipboard in hand!

I am so grateful to Amanda, my sweet daughter, who was the one who passionately approached the gals in Barrie and asked if we could be a part of this great group last year when I was going through my chemotherapy. Belonging to such an enthusiastic group is contagious and encouraging and there is just something about this special day that urges me to fight on and pursue the goal of bringing ovarian cancer to the forefront and making women more aware of this potentially silent killer.

Kudos to organizers Kim Rowntree, Laura Zawadiuk, Hayley Marchildon and Kristine Andreadis and to all the other volunteers who made this day a smashing success. Local media personality, Kool FM's Deb James did a wonderful job of keeping everyone informed and excited about the day. These gals (and their behind the scenes hubbies) sure helped make a wonderful noise and the volume was surely turned up last weekend on ovarian cancer awareness.

Amanda and I were thinking about finding a closer location next year, but I am thinking now that there is just something special about being around the familiar. Not to mention the weekend away, the hot tub and the pool - nice added bonuses! Walk on ladies.

Thank you God for creating these special rays of sunshine on a sometimes cloudy life. It makes the journey easier! I press on for my sisters.

Winners Walk of Hope

I can't believe that it was almost a year ago that I was taking part in the Winners Walk of Hope in Barrie, Ontario. And now it is time to do it again! I am excited, although my sore feet aren't exactly jumping for joy yet. Amanda and I are the only ones on our Sunflower Seeds team this year so we have a lot of noise to make. I am overwhelmed with those who are sponsoring us for our mini walk already and can hardly find the words to thank friends and family who are encouraging us in many different ways.

Last year I was the champion individual fundraiser. That was a thrilling accolade! And I had my face plastered on the pages of the Barrie Times Journal to boot. Although that was a nice honour, I am pleased as punch to just be part of this wonderful day. If I can help in some small way to help a sister out there to become more aware of their body and to help this wretched Ovarian Cancer be caught early or eradicated, then I am thrilled.

If anyone out there is interested in supporting me financially or prayerfully, I am truly grateful. Even words on a page encourage me beyond...um...words. I am doing this for my 'sisters' out there who have been, or are still, battling cancer, including Linda, Roxanne, Rosie, Kia, Judy, Daria, Denise, Tracey, Tina, Sandhy, Cindy, and so many, many more. My heart hugs each one of you and I pray that the plan God has for each of you is for complete healing. Journey on, girls, and I will take you with me on September 27th at 9am!

Here's the 'form' letter that the Winners Walk of Hope sends out on my behalf. Please don't feel obligated but have a gander anyway and see what I am up to!

<You have been invited to pledge Glynis Belec in the Mini Winners Walk of Hope. Join thousands of people across Canada supporting the Winners Walk of Hope, a remarkable event designed to create a sense of community for women living with ovarian cancer and their family and friends. All funds raised through this event support Ovarian Cancer Canada's mission to: support women and their families touched by ovarian cancer, educate well women and healthcare professionals and to fund ovarian cancer research. It's a day filled with hope and support, creating a greater awareness around ovarian cancer. To date, the Winners Walk of Hope has raised over $4.5 million.

Until there is a reliable early detection test, raising awareness about ovarian cancer is key. The Mini Winners Walk of Hope is a perfect opportunity for us to Turn UP the Volume! on ovarian cancer. Each year, 2400 women in Canada are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and sadly 1,700 women die of the disease. Even though the statistics are bleak, the good news is that when diagnosed in the early stages, the long-term survival rate is up to 90%. Education and awareness are the best tools we have for improving survival by alerting women to the signs and symptoms of the disease. Visit www.winnerswalkofhope.ca for more information!For more information on Ovarian Cancer Canada's many programs, please visit www.ovariancanada.org

Secure online donations can be made with your credit card and an official charitable tax receipt will be sent to you by email within five minutes! You can make an online donation now by clicking on the following link:http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2321540For more information about the Mini Winners Walk of Hope, please visit www.winnerswalkofhope.ca Thank you for your generous support!>

We Did It!

(Photo: This is me receiving accolades and an award for getting the most money for sponsorship. My sponsorship amounted to $2085.00! They tell me my mugshot will be
in the Barrie Advanced Times. Yikes!

How can I thank everyone who supported me?

Sigh.)







(Photo: We are all winners!)





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It will be a weekend to remember. I am absolutely zonked tonight but I am grinning from ear to ear because along with my hardy and encouraging cast and crew, we made the entire 5 Km Winners Walk of Hope (in the rain!) I only had to stop once. My leg ached a tad so I donned my trusty elastic stocking and continued on my way.

"The girls" - Amanda, Janice, Jocelyn, Pierrette, and I along with our brave boy - Trenton, packed up our kit and caboodle and headed for Barrie this weekend. We had been preparing and waiting for this big moment for a few months.

Registration for the walk was at 8am and then we were to take part in the warm up exercises at 8:30. The walk would follow at 9am. Luckily for us, things were about 1/2 an hour behind schedule. Due to the fact that we had little munchkins to prepare for the 'trip,' (nursing baby and potty training toddler!) we, too, were about 1/2 hour behind as we skedaddled out of the motel. So it worked out nicely. The only issue was the not so pleasant weather.

I was a little disappointed about the rain that was constantly with us on our trek but later I realized it had rained for a reason. :)

I listened to the different speeches from sponsors and organizers and the mayor and a member of parliament along with some others. One person indicated in her speech how much she appreciated the dedication and tenacity of all those involved and how the grit and determination of participants to continue to walk in the rain only enhanced the importance of the purpose of the walk. As I listened I thought how the rain was a good representation of all the tears that had been shed for those who have died from ovarian cancer.

One gal who came forward to the microphone moved me to tears as she spoke about her Mom. They had just buried her yesterday, September 6th. She had died from ovarian cancer and by participating in the walk, this grieving daughter felt this was her way of helping to celebrate her mother's life and a way to give back and help raise awareness about this insidious disease.

Photo: "THE SUNFLOWER SEEDS" CROSSING THE FINISH LINE!

Front Row - Pierrette (Amanda's mom-in-law) and Trenton (just waking from a nap);
Back Row - Yours Truly, hogging the umbrella; Janice (pretty and soggy daughter-in-law) and Amanda (pretty and soggy daughter carrying pretty and not so soggy, granddaughter

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So we didn't get the prize for raising the most funds like we thought we had! Our team, the Sunflower Seeds, had had this friendly online rivalry with the Teal Titans, another team, over the past weeks and by Friday we had raised a whopping $6005.00. We were convinced that we were in first place, but I guess those sneaky gals had gone and got themselves $25 or $30 more than us! It was fun. And the friendly online bantering about our sponsorship proved a great way to make friends.

This walk has been a great distraction for me. I have so many people to thank and the frustrating part some days is where to begin. Bless you all for supporting me in so many ways from monetary to emotionally to spiritually. God has put each one of you in my path for a reason and I am thankful. Now I am going to bed to rest these weary bones. Sweet dreams to you.

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