I am fighting in honor of my mother, Isobel Martin, who passed away from stage 4 metastasized breast cancer this summer on July 1st, 2018. A friend of mine told me about Haymakers just before she passed away, so I even got to tell her I was doing it before she died - which gives me even more motivation to follow through. 

Cancer is awful, everyone can agree and attest to that. Unfortunately, it has been far too prevalent in my family. My Mother, Uncle, and Grandmother - all lost their lives to this terrible disease.  Many close friends of mine have also recently lost their grandparents and parents. My Aunt, who was also diagnosed the same time as her husband, fought hard and is now a cancer survivor. All the illness and death I've experienced recently from cancer, particularly this year, has shaken me to my core and I felt so helpless.

As a result, I am trying to take action, to live life to the fullest, and say YES to things I never would've dreamed of doing before ... like training intensely and getting in a boxing ring to fight someone. I want to fight for those who no longer can, for those who lost their lives too early and fought so hard doing it. I'm doing it in honor of my mother, who smiled through all her pain when I told her I was doing Haymakers and specifically told me to see it through. So, I have no choice. She was the toughest fighter with an impenetrable spirit. She is my role model in this whole process, and in life itself.