Get Up. Get Moving. Get Rid of Cancer.

WRITTEN BY GUEST BLOGGER: ANGIE VANDERBURGH

Helplessness. There is no worse feeling than that. How well I remember those moments when I sat talking on a phone in a country across the world, hearing my sister say those hateful words, “Angie, I have cancer.” Emotions flooded though my veins---anger, sadness, more anger, and fear—but the worse feeling was helplessness. What could I do for her? I didn’t even live in the country where she lived!

Julie’s battle was long and all chronicled here throughout this Cures Rock! blog. I don’t need to dig through piles of stories to tell you the hell that journey can be. Yet in the midst of this journey also rose feelings that I thought odd and misplaced in this new world. Words like hope, perseverance, and humor became familiar to my vocabulary, and I knew that through prayers, kindness, letters, and roll-up-your-sleeves hard work, that there were indeed things that I could do as a family member watching a loved one battle cancer.

Even though I cheer at the thought that my twin has been cancer free for over two years, this battle won’t be over anytime soon for my family. I have other family members and children and friends that I want to make sure never journey down the road that my sister did. This is where committing my time to great organizations comes in to play. Recently, my daughter and I ran together at the Yellow Hat Run benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Next week, I’ll head down to San Diego to volunteer at the Swing Fore! Yellow golf tournament benefitting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Thanks to a simple request at work and a very generous company I work for, my company is also one of the sponsors of the event. (Thank you Preferred Hotel Group and Preferred Golf!) In February, the Cures Rock! running team will join the Surf City Marathon and Half Marathon race in Huntington Beach, and join Team Livestrong at the Livestrong Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, to continue to raise funds that go toward finding a cure.

Helpless? I don’t think so. It’s all perspective. Perhaps I won’t be the one in the lab finding the cure, but I might just be the one that raised that final dollar needed to fund the research that found the cure.

Feel free to join us in raising funds by signing up for an incredible day of golf at the Swing Fore! Yellow Livestrong Golf Tournament THIS COMING MONDAY, November 7th! Your involvement will earn you an incredible day of golf, a membership to Preferred Golf for 1 year (a $295 value!), lots of cool swag, and—best of all—a part in helping to end cancer forever.

See you there!
Angie

Note: To join the Cures Rock! Running team at the Surf City H.B. race, select the "Cures Rock Running Team" during registration and post here so we know you joined! To join the Cures Rock! team fundraising for Livestrong at the Austin race, go to www.teamlivestrong.org, search for the race and choose our team when you sign up! Post here so we know you joined!