Paws & A Cause

"I'm not afraid to die; I am only afraid of saying goodbye to you forever."

Perhaps those weren't the exact words she heard, but they might have been. Less than two years ago, Twilla Johannesen said a final goodbye as the grip of cancer took her mom.

Years of pain, medicine, treatments, and hope are all washed away as the final tear is wiped from the eye of your loved ones. It matters little whether the battle and agony has been for three months or ten years. Cancer wins.

It is a road many of us have walked and we would trade if we could. With no answers or treatments for a cure, we are weak and we will lose.

As though it was a "challenge," Twilla and her furry four-month-old "Sampson" are taking on the streets of the town and are stepping and striding toward raising funds for cancer. She has set up a page on Facebook and challenging others to assist in her efforts to collect money to be given to the American Cancer Research Society.

Her goal is 30 miles. She is clocking the distance daily and as of Thursday afternoon she has walked an average of three miles a day. Sampson shared with me that his strides aren't as long and he is putting in far more steps in this venture than Twilla is! Thus far, weather has been her friend walking beside her...we all know that can change in less than one block.

With $220 raised as of this going into the deadline, things are looking good! If you see them in your travels, slow down...give 'em a holler and throw them a dollar!

Happy trekking, Twilla, and good luck!