Many individuals in the LGBT community are affected by breast cancer—and life partners Amy Moseley and Pat Standley are just two of those people.
Like many others, and joined with an 'entourage' of support, they will take part in the upcoming Y-ME National Breast Cancer Foundation's 2007 Chicago Race to Empower, a 16-year Mother's Day tradition in the Windy City. The 1- or 3-mile walk and 5K run are parts of an inspiring day to raise funds for Y-ME programs and services. The event will be held May 13 in Chicago's Grant Park.
When friend Mollie Ryan decided to create the Funky Bunch team, Moseley and Standley decided to jump on board and bring Moseley's two children, Nathan and Kasey. Standley, well-known in the Chicago athletic community for playing rugby, just spend the past several months conquering breast cancer. Moseley, a part-time freelance photographer and mother of two from the D.C. area, traveled to Chicago extensively to be there for her partner of three years.
Other than the obvious inspirations for Moseley to take part in the event? Her mother is also a 17-year survivor, and two other family members were just diagnosed with prostate cancer—Moseley knows how important it is to show support during such a difficult time.
'I wouldn't want anyone to ever face such a challenging time alone, and I feel very strongly and passionate about supporting and participating in the Y-ME Race to Empower,' Moseley said.
'I would want someone going through this to be lucky enough to experience it the way we were able to. We had a team; we had an entourage. … It's difficult walking down the hallway during chemo treatments. We would have no less than four people, probably. To walk down the hall and see someone alone—that had a big impact on me.'
Moseley said that not only does she feel lucky that two very important women in her life survived this, but that she walked away having learned how crucial it is to show support during the good times, as well as the bad times.
Moseley, like many others, will walk and run on Mother's Day to raise funds for the Y-ME programs and services free to those with breast cancer.
See www.y-me.org to learn more about the organization, and to link to the Chicago Race to Empower homepage to join a team or support a participant or team's efforts. There is a list of teams, including The Funky Bunch.
