Meet Your Team LIVESTRONG Mentor: Chris
by Guest
Join Chris and LIVESTRONG in the fight against cancer. Sign up to run, walk, or ride with Team LIVESTRONG today at the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Philly or ride in the 15th Anniversary LIVESTRONG Challenge in Austin.
Why do you support LIVESTRONG? I love it when I hear that question! It gives me a chance to explain that while research and development towards a cure is critically important, there are so many other issues that cancer survivors, their families and their caregivers face every day. LIVESTRONG helps people from the moment of diagnosis. If you have never been touched by cancer, you might not have given these issues much thought.
I know I didn’t. I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 19 years ago. There was no LIVESTRONG back then. In fact, there was nothing readily available that helped me address fertility, job discrimination, finding clinical trials and insurance issues. Cancer wasn’t something that people talked about. I was scared and didn’t feel like I had anyone to talk to about my fears. I was looking for someone who had been through this who could help me understand and prepare for what was to come. Even though LIVESTRONG came after my diagnosis, I have still benefited from the services offered, both for myself and when friends have been diagnosed.
Today, it’s OK to talk about cancer and it’s definitely OK to take action. I thank Lance and the entire LIVESTRONG staff for that. It’s OK to tell people that you have cancer and it’s OK to be concerned about job security, friendships and relationships. It’s no longer enough to simply survive the treatment. There is life after cancer and for me LIVESTRONG has played a big part in making my life after cancer much better than it was before cancer.
As LIVESTRONG has evolved, I have become more involved. This is my fourth year as a Team LIVESTRONG mentor and my 12th year as a participant. I have seen LIVESTRONG grow and make a difference in so many lives. I am honored and humbled to be a part of it. Every year I look around me and feel so very fortunate. I have become a survivor and I have made great friends. There are so many courageous people that I look up to. There are many that we have lost and I remember them.
Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. I’m about to hit the 20 year mark and I know that I could not have made it this far without the community of people I have met through LIVESTRONG
LIVESTRONG,
Chris Hornbeek
Team LIVESTRONG Mentor
. Thank you for making a difference in so many lives.
