You can make a difference.

You can be a part of transformation.

You can save a life.

On Sunday November 9, I plan to run in my first ½ marathon - the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay. The event itself is not a fundraiser - but in choosing to take on this physical challenge, I also wanted to commit myself more fully by raising money for an organization that has become very near and dear to my heart - FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered.

I am running because I have a body that can. I want to acknowledge and celebrate that. A few weeks following this event I hope to undergo prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and celebrate my body in a new way-free from the pending threat of breast cancer that has long been my shadow. I take on both challenges with an open heart and the strength and belief that I will come out a winner - twice!

I found FORCE after being diagnosed with a BRCA2 genetic mutation. This puts me at advanced risk for both breast and ovarian cancers - both marked by very early onset. FORCE created the designation of "previvor" for people like me. This is defined as individuals who are survivors of a predisposition to cancer but who haven't had the disease. This group includes people who carry a hereditary mutation, a family history of cancer, or some other predisposing factor.

This knowledge has come with very powerful choices that I am navigating every day. I am the daughter and sister of women who have suffered greatly from breast cancer.  I see this as an opportunity to change my own destiny and to honor the challenges that both my sister, Lisa, my mom Elena, and my mother-in-law Marsha endur(ed).  Also, as a mother of two beautiful young girls, it is my hope that organizations such as FORCE and the Susan Komen Foundation will be able to find a cure for breast cancer before either one has to make similar challenging decisions.