New Beginnings

September. A month of new beginnings. Today is Rosh Hashanah; the Jewish New Year. Yesterday was the first day of classes for many college students. When I was a kid it would have been the first day of school. Back then, public schools did not start until the Wednesday after Labor Day. (A holiday here in North America – both the United State and Canada). In so many ways, September marks the beginning of the year.

In just over three weeks I will fly to San Francisco to participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer with a team that was formed three years ago. We walk in memory of a dear friend, school mate, and student leader. I find myself being both sad and excited. I’m a little apprehensive about the Golden Gate Bridge, but I know the experience will be magnificent.

I am sad because I miss Jan. I pulled my “Jan hat” off the closet shelf the other day. It’s a hat we had made for the first walk. I’ll wear it again this year. I will wear it every year we walk. I like to think that Jan is proud of what we are doing. I like to think it’s something she would have organized.

I am also looking forward to seeing my teammates again. We have a special bond. We came together because of Jan, but we had known each other before our first walk. It’s an annual reunion. Throughout the rest of the year we keep in touch via email and social media. We have discovered we have more in common than just Jan and law school.

The Walk is also a new beginning. The Avon Foundation provides grants to area hospitals and research facilities with the money we raise. They also provide grants for support services, education, and screenings for under-insured and uninsured women and men. We are helping to give someone, somewhere a new year; a new start.

I know my last sentence may seem Polly Ana-ish given the realities of breast cancer. But funding research has resulted in new and better treatments. More lives are being saved. Lives are being extended. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of work to be done. We need to find a way to prevent recurrence. We need to find a way to stop the spread of metastasized breast cancer; halt its progression and give patients a better quality of life. We need to find a cure for ALL cancer.

So as I start September and look forward to the Avon Walk in three and half weeks, I will think of it as the start of something good. And I wish you all a Happy New Year!

You can make a donation to my fundraising efforts at www.info.avonfoundation.org/goto/HeatherMores

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