can't stop, won't stop

So January ended, and with it, Cervical Cancer Awareness month. But that doesn't mean the fight is over. For all of those suffering, the fight will not end until there is a cure. Today is World Cancer Day (wear purple in support!). The more we raise our voices, the better our chances are. We need to speak out.

This video is a combination of Cindy Lauper's "True Colors" and "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. It's an incredibly beautiful testament to how hard and strong all those affected by cancer fight. Hoda Kotb brought these two amazing women together, and what resulted was magic. From the Huffington Post:

"Seven years ago, "Today" co-host Hoda Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer. She knows firsthand the struggles cancer patients go through and more than empathizes with the ones who must do so as children. So to acknowledge the strength of these kids, increase awareness of pediatric cancer and raise money for the American Cancer Society, Kotb created this collaborative project."

This song means a lot to me. I recently found out that a friend's treatment was not successful. Her cancer has metastasized. They do not restage cancer, but if they did, she would be at stage 4 now.

I watched her fight her first round with so much positivity, elegance, and grace that it helped take away my fear. She was always there with encouraging words. This news has rocked her, and she is not quite ready yet to put her game face back on. She is exploring her options. She is dealing with pain, emotional and physical. But she has said that she is not ready yet to go back to being as publicly optimistic as she was before.

This is completely understandable, obviously. And this is the sad truth of this disease - there are no guarantees. A treatment protocol that has worked for 95% of patients still fails 5%. Cancer comes back. Or worse yet, it never leaves.

I want to fight for her. I want to take this disease from her body. I want to heal her. These are things I cannot do. So I just remind myself how damn strong she is, this beautiful friend of mine. How even though the days seem dark now, she is going to rise and fight again, because that is just who she is. I know that soon she'll show us all how big her brave is.

"Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us." ~ Samuel Smiles