Joy Walsh was diagnosed with cancer twice. As a breast cancer survivor, she wanted to protect her daughters, so she started raising money for cures.

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Transcript

My name is Joy Walsh. I’m an 11 year, almost 12 year brain tumor survivor and a 10 year breast cancer survivor. In December 2000, I collapsed and a brain tumor was discovered. And in February 2001, I had surgery. I had a craniotomy to remove that. And then I underwent seven weeks of radiation. About 14 months after the end of my radiation, I discovered a lump in my left breast.

Had just had a mammogram about 8 months prior to finding the lump. And just without a doubt, finding that lump when I did save my life. If I had waited another 4 or 5 months for my annual mammogram, I’m convinced that I wouldn’t be here today. And no one deserves bad things to happen to them, but they do, and when they do, you reach out. And you dig deep and I just have faith and hope that it will all turn out just fine and it has. As part of my way of giving back, I feel that it’s an obligation on my part to help raise funds to find a cure for breast cancer. I have two daughters. I think they will forever be marked by the experience of having had a mother go through. to cancer experiences and I worry about their futures more so than my own. And the Avon Walk is an event that my daughter, my 20 year old daughter, walked with me this past year. And the thing that she got most out of the walk was she saw the hope. There were over 100 survivors. There were over 100 of us who walked in the walk.

And as we raised our hands, when they ask, I’m sorry, I always get so emotional because the Avon walk just, it just reinforces the hope. And there are more and more survivors every year walking in the walk and we’re raising funds, we’re raising awareness. And when we see so much of the money that we’ve worked so hard to raise, given to organizations such as Johns Hopkins, we know those funds will be put to good use and we’re gonna see a cure. There were some nights that I was falling asleep and I would say my prayers. I Really didn’t know if I would wake up the next morning. so each morning when I woke up, it was a gift. And you appreciate it. You take time to be with friends and family. You don’t rush as much. Cancer has given me a lesson that I hope I never, ever forget. I’m so blessed.