WHY I FIGHT
 
Cancer f*cking sucks.
We all are way too familiar with cancer. We know the dangers and risks it poses to us, what it’s capable of, and the harm and suffering it has caused millions of people around the world.
 
We have all been affected by cancer in some capacity during our lives. Cancer does not discriminate; it terrorizes and threatens us all, regardless of race, color, or creed. No one is immune to its wrath. And the most frightening part is that cancer diagnoses have become so commonplace that we have almost accepted the disease as an inevitable part of our reality and a very likely possibility that we will have to face on the horizon. We hope and pray that we or someone we love won’t have to face this beast next. You never imagine one day it would come knocking on your door… until it does.

My story is no different. In February 2023, life threw me a curveball without any warning that nothing could have prepared me for. The news would change my life forever: my mum - my best friend and my partner in crime - had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. My heart would break a second time just a month into training for this fight when the cancer took over. My mother passed a way on July 30, 2024, and she fought til her last breath like the badass ‘not a regular mom but a cool mom’ exceptional incredible game changing iconic legendary woman that she was.
https://www.currentobituary.com/member/obit/286538

She taught me everything I know about hard work, class, courage, humility, faith, perseverance, and the power of an unwavering indomitable spirit. She instilled in me a relentless pursuit of greatness and an unwavering determination to leave everything better than I found it. She has supported me in every one of my endeavors. None of my grandest dreams of mine would have never come to fruition if she hadn’t pushed me to believe that I’m capable of anything I put my mind to.
 
Her battle with cancer has given me a perspective on life and time and what’s actually important. Cancer has made me appreciate the little joys of life and moments of light we find in the darkness. There is nothing that I enjoyed more in her final days, weeks, and even months than those simple ordinary moments in her company watching a JLo or Liam Neeson movie, watching the dog chase her own tail, drinking a combined 14-22 cups of tea in a 24 hour period, or doing absolutely nothing at all.

I am fighting for Haymakers’ “Belles of the Brawl” on October 10th to raise money that funds cancer research and continues to provide her and countless other warriors battling this awful disease with access to life-saving medical treatment. I am fighting for everyone who won their battle, for everyone who has lost their battle, and for everyone whose battle still lies ahead. I am fighting because the fight is never over until a cure is found. Above all, I am fighting to foster hope for cancer patients, survivors, and their families, friends, and loved ones that there is a cure out there waiting to be discovered.

Please consider supporting my fight in whatever way you can by making a donation, liking, sharing; no amount is too small. 100% of your donations will support the Boston Fire Cancer Foundation and their continued mission to provide emotional and financial support to Boston Firefighters diagnosed with occupational cancer and their families. To learn more about this amazing non-profit organization created by and for first responders, please visit https://www.bostonfirecancerfoundation.org/ Thank you for your generosity and support in this endeavor.

I would also like to dedicate this fight to
the late Boston Firefighter/Marine Corps Veteran Mat Troy of Engine 10/“The Big House”; and my dear friends Emily Clifford, Lianne MacIsaac, Hoong Wei Speicher, Mama McKunes, & Rosa Rosa.

I will miss you mum. This one’s for you, boss xo