Making Strides Against Breast Cancer - Kristina

[treefroggyk]

I want to share a speech I gave at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Team Leader breakfast in Nashville, 2007.  October is breast cancer awareness month and I hope this will encourage anyone hoping to make a difference in helping find the cure for cancer.  Kristina's story can be found at http://www.kristinascalling.com - I hope you will stop by and see what a blessing it is.

Kristina was included in the promotional video for our local walk, and as team leader, I was asked to share at this breakfast.  We watched the promotional video that had many pictures of Kristina and our team - then I gave this speech:

 

You just saw a lot of my friends and the reason I am here today.

 

I met Kristina Schlegel at Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet.  I had nursery duty (which is not my specialty...) and we spent a lot of time together in there, because she was still nursing her youngest daughter Abby.  Abby didn't want to spend time with me, she wanted her Mommy, and wasn't afraid to let everyone know it.  Kristina was so easy to talk to.  She had a smile that would brighten a room, and make anyone feel at ease with her.  Kristina quickly became a shining example as a mother, Christian, friend, and wife.  People were just drawn to her, but she was one of the most humble women I know.  Ask anyone about Kristina and they will tell you how beautiful she really was.  It wasn't limited to external beauty, she had a beautiful heart.

          Now I've seen cancer, and even lost close family members to it, but it had remained distant, intangible, and easy to ignore.  When Kristina - young, vibrant, and fun-loving - received a diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer it became very real, VERY fast.  My first desire was to fix it, no matter the cost, IMMEDIATELY!  Well, as most of you know, cancer doesn't work that way, so of course, I couldn't just take it away no matter how hard I wanted to.  If I couldn't take it away directly, then I figured I would start finding out what was being done about finding a cure.

          I called my Mom, because I knew her church in NC did a walk for cancer (Relay For Life) and she told me there was a website with information on it.  In my search I came across the Making Strides site and I knew this event would be a perfect fit because it was specifically against breast cancer.  I told Kristina about it, she loved it, and that was all the confirmation I needed.  I registered our team online and began to spread the word at church.  Word quickly spread through her family too, and across state lines.

One of her best friends (and mine) drove me to this breakfast last year, because I was feeling slightly overwhelmed and still not sure what to expect.  I was wondering if our little team would really make a difference in the grand scheme of things.  We met some wonderful people that morning, and I learned a LOT.  We knew we had a mission and we started fund raising.

          I had planned to have a yard sale - I hate having yard sales! - and that same friend decided she would join in and donate the money to our team.  I found myself receiving yard sale items from several church members who had heard about our "Breast Cancer" yard sale!  We made a poster to let people know about Kristina, our motivation, and what we were doing with the money, and we were amazed at the people who wanted to stay and share their own experiences and even pray with us!  It was such a blessing, we knew we had to have another one, and we even ended up with a competition on our team to see who could make the most at a yard sale for the team!  It not only raised money and awareness, but it brought us all closer together as friends.

 

         

I took that first step of leading a team not knowing:

•·        We would raise thousands from yard sales and get to share our experience with strangers...

•·        That our local paper would come to our prayer meeting for Kristina and end up printing a front page story about her and our team...

•·        That my friend's brother would print custom T-shirts for us...

•·        That we would have 77 team members sign up...

•·        Or that we would beat our goal and raise almost 11 thousand dollars as a team

 

We were just a few people wanting to make a little difference, taking 1 step at a time in the right direction for the right reasons.  You just never know exactly where it will lead, but you can be sure it's going to be a learning experience that will make you a better, stronger person.

When the time for the walk came, some did worry about making it a whole 5 miles.....but if Kristina could take that chemo, stand on stage and speak, and then walk all 5 miles.....we couldn't complain.  She made every step of that walk, and though she looked great, I know she didn't feel it.  Kristina knew it wasn't just about her.  She knew that God is sovereign and that He would be glorified in every step, and that every step brings us closer to a cure. 

We will always have a reason to walk.  I love Kristina, and I hate cancer.  I will always hope that one of our dollars will be the one that funds the cure.

This isn't just a walk, it's a journey.  A journey of love, hope, support, and friendship.  It's a journey you will never forget and never regret.

 

     I look forward to seeing all of you and your teams on the 20^th.

Go here to find an event near you: http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=MSABC_FY09_findanevent

[blg119]

Aug. 14, 2008 at 9:29 PM

I wish I had the opportunity to meet her. From all the stories I have heard, she seemed like such a great person. Her girls are precious!