Breast Cancer Awareness Month

photo taken from Michele's website
October is breast cancer awareness month, and I had been casually contemplating what I could do in memory of my mother. About an hour ago, I came across the story of Michele Baldwin, an SUP (stand-up paddleboard) paddler, diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. Given 6 months or so to live, Michele is going to spend her remaining time paddling 700 miles down the the sacred Ganga River in India to raise awareness/funds to prevent and treat cervical cancer in India. You can find out more information by going to: http://starryganga.com/.

I've had cancer of the mind for the past several months, and more often than I've wanted, I found myself contemplating what I would do if I had terminal cancer (I know, not the most fun of thoughts, it just happens). When I learned of Michele's story, I was immediately moved to give because I think she is doing exactly what I would do (and I totally fell for SUP while on Kona). I'll leave you with a quote from Michele Baldwin that really nailed it:

"The reason I am writing is that I have this dream of being one of the first women, if not the first person, to Stand up Paddle from Rishikesh to Varanasi in India. It would be an epic trip, my final act (I made this bold, the "final act" was such a powerful statement), encompassing a great sporting feat, a spiritual journey, and a platform to bring awareness to the evils of cervical cancer, which kills 74,000 women a year in India."