Cathy Valley wanted to do something.
When her best friend for the last 25 years, Jennifer Swenson of Bradford, was diagnosed with breast cancer in June, she felt helpless and scared. For Swenson, it came out of nowhere.
“No family history, no nothing,” Swenson said. “It was quite a shock.”
You never think cancer is going to affect the people you love until it blindsides you like a rogue frisbee at the beach. But Valley was determined to do something about it – she needed to do something about it. While she could help Swenson by visiting and taking her to chemo treatments, Valley understands there are many others out there fighting this life changing disease. So she decided to do her part – by raising money for breast cancer research.
“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Valley said. “I was devastated. It’s very personal. Very, very personal.”
And what better way to do it than to put together a team for this Sunday’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Concord.
“It was like two weeks before the kickoff party that I said ‘I’m going to do this,’ ” Valley said.
At first, Swenson didn’t want anyone to know about her diagnosis. So instead of creating the team using Swenson’s name, Valley decided to put one in under the name of the company she works for, which just so happens to be the publisher of the Insider, the Concord Monitor.
“It’s private and it’s hard to open up about it, but if I can help my friends and my family to be strong through it that’s my goal,” Swenson said.
Now Swenson is not only okay with it, but her and her 14-year-old daughter Melody are on the team. Melody is actually a co-captain along with Valley and has been the biggest fundraiser along with her mom, as each has brought in $225.
“She emailed all the teachers and staff at Kearsarge right away at the start of school and got about $200,” Valley said.
In addition to the Swensons and some close friends, Valley sent an email to her Monitor coworkers seeking out more team members – and boy did she get a good response. There are people from advertising staff, editorial, sports and the business office, which has brought the number of team members to 14.
Sherri Cote and Candace Fitzgerald are two of the advertising staff who decided to join the team.
“I’m friends with Cathy and her best friend was diagnosed, so I knew it would be important,” Cote said.
“A lot of people we know are affected, friends and family, and it’s an important cause,” Fitzgerald added.
And one day recently, members of the Monitor team got a chance to meet Swenson when she stopped by for a visit just one day after a chemo treatment. It just happened to be on one of the days that the advertising and production staff had one of their world famous food spreads. Talk about a lucky coincidence.
“We came upstairs and I said ‘This is Jennifer. This is who we’re walking for,’ ” Valley said.
“They got to put a face to it,” Swenson said.
It’s not the first Monitor Strides team, although there has not been one since 2008. Each member of the team is expected to raise at least $100, and as of Monday morning, team Monitor had brought in $1,350.
“I asked family members and a couple people who work (at the Monitor) that wanted to donate,” Valley said. “I’m just hoping to hit the minimum, and I think we’ll do it and hopefully more.”
Last year, the Making Strides event raised $588,567, and over the first 21 years, the Concord walk has totaled $5,979,138. And did you know that Concord is the highest fundraiser per capita in the country? Now that’s certainly something to be proud of.
Valley donated to the Montior team in years past and even did the fundraising to walk one year, but at the last minute had something come up. But nothing will stop her this year. She will be leading the charge for her team – and her friend – for the five-mile walk.
“It’s going to be an emotional roller coaster,” Valley said.
Swenson had also donated before but never really thought about walking. She hopes to walk on Sunday, but it all depends on how she’s feeling. The walk will be just four days after starting her second round of chemotherapy.
“I’m hoping to walk, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to,” Swenson said. “The plan is to walk, though.”
Since her June diagnosis, Swenson underwent a single mastectomy, finished her first 8-week chemo regimen and is about to start round two with a new medicine. And when she’s done with this round, radiation therapy is up next.
“I’ll be going through the whole thing,” Swenson said.
But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“They said there’s no reason I shouldn’t come out with flying colors,” Swenson said of her doctor’s at the Payson Cancer Center.
Swenson knew her longtime friend had to do something. That’s why she’s okay with telling her story. And now Swenson has plans to keep the Making Strides fundraising going.
“I’ll definitely be a part of it in some way, shape or form, whether I’m volunteering or walking,” Swenson said.
So why not do your part and donate to a Making Strides team today? Because you never know when you’re going to be the one being knocked down by that frisbee at the beach.
