One day I picked up 7-year-old Drew Lester from school. Most of the time, Drew chats about the typical things that interest him – school, Star Wars and Harry Potter. But today – out of the blue – came these questions: “Why did my mom get cancer? Did she do something wrong? Did she not take care of her body?”I was caught off guard and not sure how to answer him. But I have found the truth is always best. I didn’t know why his mom got cancer.Drew’s parents are close friends of mine and my husband, Tom. Drew’s mom, Colleen, only 38 years old, is recovering from her second battle with thymic carcinoma (she was originally diagnosed in 1996 as atypical carcinoid) – a rare type of cancer).I remember the day, just a few months ago, when Colleen told us she found a lump on her lower back and was 90 percent sure her cancer had returned. Just a few weeks after being re-diagnosed with cancer, she had surgery and went through radiation. She is now back to her regular routine. When it was time for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event, she was eager to participate.A group from Booz Allen Hamilton, Tom and Colleen’s employer, participates each year in the charity event. This year, Tom, Colleen and I volunteered to be part of a team of 16 people, all representing Booz Allen Hamilton.The event began on a Friday evening at America the Beautiful Park in downtown Colorado Springs. The park was peppered with camping tents and lawn chairs as the event ran through the night, ending at 7 a.m. Saturday morning. Participants were encouraged to walk as little or as much as they wanted. Shortly after dusk, volunteers lined the walking path with luminaries lit in memory or honor of loved ones who had suffered from cancer. A simple reminder of what, or more importantly who, we were walking for.Tom and I raised $335 in donations, which was added to the team contributions, bringing the total to $2,635. An overall total of $18,387 was raised by 27 teams in Colorado Springs.It’s money well spent in the hopes of finding a cure for cancer, so kids like Drew won’t have to ask the question: Why did my mom get cancer?
