My Reason for Supporting the “Fight for a Cure” in Breast Cancer

By: Karen Stark

I am among the many who have lost a loved one to breast cancer and I just wanted to briefly tell my mother’s story as she is the reason I do this now.

In 1984 at the age of 44, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She was running a day care at the time and was raising 5 of her own children.  She went through treatment and a radical mastectomy all the while she never missed a day of her day care service or taking care of her family.  She was deemed cancer free one year after being diagnosed.  She remained cancer free for 14 years.

Oct 1998 she was given the bad news that her cancer had returned to her other breast.  She had another mastectomy and went through all the treatments again for the second time.  All the while she ran her day care and had now moved her elderly mother in with her so that she could take care of her.   In January 1999 she was once again deemed cancer free.  We were all very happy.

In April of 2002, she started having memory lapses and forgetfulness.  She finally went to the doctors and when they ran some test, they found that the cancer had returned and was now in her left lung and a tumor in her brain.  She began aggressive treatments again; from chemo to having screws in her head and a halo to hold her head still while they radiated the tumor in her brain.  The tumor did shrink some.  She once again continued to run her day care and take care of her elderly mother and family.

In March 2003, her health began to deteriorate quickly.  She was rapidly losing weight and one side of her body started to drag.  Her memory was slipping as well.  She was admitted to the hospital where they decided she needed brain surgery to remove the tumor.  She came out of the surgery with flying colors and was back to her normal self.   About two weeks after surgery, something went wrong and she went down hill very fast.  The cancer had now spread throughout her lungs and liver.  She lost her fight against cancer on April 30, 2003 one week after her 63rd birthday.

What amazes me about my mother is that through all of this, she never once showed any kind of suffering.  She continued to run her day care and take care of everyone’s needs. She served in her church and no one ever heard her complain.  She also walked in the Revlon Run/Walk faithfully every year.  Even one month after being diagnosed with the brain tumor, she was out doing the walk and walked quite fast, I must say.  It wasn’t until after her death and I read her diaries that I knew the true pain and suffering she had endured throughout those years.  I read her words as she stated “if it were not for my husband and kids, I would stop this awful chemo and let myself die.”

I may have lost my mother and my best friend way too soon, but one thing I keep with me is her spirit.  She taught me that you should never give up; to always have a great attitude no matter what you are facing. 

And so I will do what I can to help support those working towards a cure.  So that if not myself, maybe my two daughters will not have to suffer from breast cancer. This is For my mother Barbara Ann Griffeth.

How did WarMMA get involved? Last year as I was walking with my sister and cousin I thought, "If this is a fight against cancer, we should get our fighters involved in a new kind fight...a fight for breasts". As soon as Chuck at WarMMA heard the idea, he loved it! So this year it won't be just us girls walking...we want to involve as many people as we can in our FIGHT!

We at WarMMA will honor our Aunt Barbara; a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend;

and all others who are in the fight of their lives. We will do all we can to find a cure and continue...

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