April 1st: My 14th Cancerversary

A Letter from Molly MacDonald, Founder & CEO

April 1, 2019 marks my 14th cancerversary---the day I heard the news that begins with “I’m sorry” and
ends with “you have breast cancer,” initiating me into the sorority no one “rushes” to join, SURVIVOR, yet once in, one hopes to remain a member for decades. This anniversary is particularly poignant for me, as three women we knew and loved died in the last five months from the disease.

This past November, Lori Baran who performed in Dancing With The Survivors® in 2015, passed away at 62. She told us dancing was on her bucket list. We are happy to have been able to help her check that one off. Lori reviewed grants and authored a book to help survivors titled After Cancer By Lori.
She was always willing to talk with anyone and everyone about her illness, even answering questions
from our interns such as “What is it like to know you will die from breast cancer?”

Please take a moment to honor Lori with us and view her beautiful performance from 2015. Click to view on YouTube.

Rachel Ekizian was just 30 when diagnosed the first time.  She passed away this February a month short of her 49th birthday. Rachel also partnered with her son, Tyler in 2016 to perform in Dancing With the Survivors in 2016.

Please take a moment to honor Rachel with us and watch her dance with her son. Click to view on YouTube.

Most recently, Margaux Untracht passed away at the age of 33.  Also diagnosed at 30, Margaux selflessly raised $150,000 for The Pink Fund, which allowed us to help 60 additional women.

When I was diagnosed I grappled with the term Survivor. So I coined the term SurThrivor®, which means someone who did not waste their cancer, but instead used it to make life better for other survivors. SurThrivor has no end date but instead reflects the quality of the life the person lived, the contributions they made to the greater good and the legacy they left behind.

Each of these women asked that donations be made to The Pink Fund in honor and celebration of their lives. Help us celebrate their legacy of being a SurThrivor, or honor your own loved one, by assisting breast cancer patients in active treatment focus on healing.

Donate today to honor the SurThrivor in your life.

With love,

Molly