I am the mother of four amazing children, wife to a very supportive husband and a Breast Cancer Survivor. 

Before I get ahead of myself, let me rewind the clock back two years. Two blue lines on a pregnancy test strip indicated that my family of five was about to become six. No one knew at the time, but this child, Maggie Mae, was going to save my life. It was an exciting time. My husband and I decided not to find out the sex of the baby until birth; and what a birth it was!! Maggie Mae, a bruiser as my mother calls her, was a bit too comfortable and proceeded to cause my 4th C-section to become quite an ordeal. The doctors almost had to put me under general anesthesia to complete the procedure. It was quite a scare. I counted my blessings and welcomed a beautiful, opinionated daughter into the world. I thought I was through with doctors for a long while and could return back to normal. Evening walks with my husband and kids and trips to the local pool. Life would be as perfect as those Norman Rockwell paintings on the walls of doctor offices. Wrong.

Seven months later, I feel THE lump in my left breast while breastfeeding Maggie. I call my husband. As an eternal optimist, he dismissed my fears and recited the countless clogged ducts and other possibilities for the lump. I half-heartedly accept his explanation. Two days later, another phone call. This time, there were no recitations or rationalizations. This time, it was CANCER. At this point, life became an absolute blur. How do you explain to four happy-go-lucky children about Cancer? How do you prepare to fight a disease in which the fight, not the disease, ravages the body? How do you continually wake up each morning and go on fighting the good fight? My answer was simple, my family.

We decided from the start to share as much information we could with the kids. I will never forget our first chat over dinner. I asked the kids if they had noticed that I had been going to the doctors a lot. The very next thing out of my then 8 year olds mouth was ‘Do you have cancer?’ I knew from that moment forward that honesty was going to be best for my children. I wouldn’t be able to get much past them.

After my bilateral mastectomy, I returned home to four smiles that helped keep from going to the deep dark places your mind loves to go when you are faced with a cancer diagnosis. What was tough for me was that I seemed to encounter every complication along the road. Two weeks after my initial surgery, I was hospitalized for a raging infection at the University of MD. After a week on IV antibiotics, my doctors decided that a second surgery would be necessary. Oh how my spirits were dashed. I already felt like my life had been hijacked. I likened it to a mother hen having her feathers plucked out one by one for every activity I could no longer do for my children.

It was right before this surgery is when I met Brock Yetso. My high school friend, Jennie Burke, called him and told him to get right over to University of MD. I remember him walking in my hospital room with a huge smile on his face and a wonderful bag full of great resource books for young adults. I remember him telling me about the Cancer to 5K program Ulman Cancer Fund had and how I would soon be back on my feet to do it. I think I chuckled and thought he was a bit crazy. Here I was facing another surgery the next morning, not to mention I have never been a runner and here he wanted me to think about the Cancer to 5K program. When Brock left I hoped that he was right that my life would in fact move on.

So many well-intentioned “outsiders” gave me advice along the way such as Brock’s. Relax. Rest. Let others do everything for you. While I appreciated the intentions behind their sentiments, their advice could not have been more off-target. I wanted to continue living. I didn’t want my fun-loving husband to turn into a stoic monk. I wanted to live and enjoy life. It was a decision that saved my sanity and brought my family closer together.

Our family unit would continue to do the things we always did. Dance parties to Justin Beiber and Kenny Chesney after dinner. Walks to the pond to catch crayfish and salamanders. Trips to target for one item, but leaving with a cartful. The things we always did and would continue to do regardless of Cancer.

It may sound odd to some, but you simply needed to be there. I equate it to a simple analogy. Prior to having kids, a meal at a restaurant with family could be ruined by a screaming child two booths over. As every mother knows…..If the screaming child wasn’t one of mine, the screams barely registered on the radar. So, prior to having to deal with Cancer, you feel life must stop and become an endless parade of doctors, tests, treatments and prayers. Once you are face-to-face with it, you realize life is about smiles, laughter, love and prayer, all the other stuff should barely register in affecting your quality of life.

My oldest son Jack, a mere ten years old, often saw the fear in my eyes after each surgery. He wanted to help but he was scared. Brady and Kate, my other two children, gave extra hugs and drew pictures and picked flowers on a daily basis last summer. Brady even offered to name a toad he caught in the backyard after me. They were my strength.

My dream was to always have a strong family and to have children I could adore. What I never realized was that each child, Jack, Brady, Kate, and Maggie Mae adore and love me. It was in their love Cancer could not attack. It was their smiles and warmth that provided the medicine I needed. It was them that saved my life.

Fast forward to today. I have endured 6 rounds of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a full year of Herceptin and 10 surgeries. My hair has grown back. My strength, dedication and resolve are back with a vengeance. I love, cherish and adore my family. I have learned how to be a better mother, wife and person by choosing to live life and not hide from it. Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults and Team Fight has pushed me to limits I never thought possible two years ago. I have been able to complete the Iron Girl Columbia 2013 race and competed in the Half Full Triathlon as a relay team with my husband and Jack. It's amazing how Ulman Cancer Fund and Team Fight has inspired me.

Now, I am not a fan of clichés but they represent true life and often sum up the feelings that we often have trouble putting into words. 

I want to share the Lanahan family motto: “The family that laughs, loves and runs together; beats CANCER together.” This is why I FIGHT!! Cancer changes lives...with your support so can we! 

On April 5th, 2014, I will once again be stepping way outside of my comfort zone as I journey with a group of inspiring individuals down the east coast in the 2nd Annual Key to Keys ride. At each of our scheduled stops down the coast we will be visiting cancer treatment centers, distributing chemo care bags and offering support to cancer patients receiving treatment.

I have decided to dedicate my ride to honor a woman named Sarah Horn who lost her battle with a rare form of  breast cancer on December 23, 2013 at the age of 35. 

I have never met Sarah, but I have not been able to stop thinking about her since I heard the news of her diagnosis. In some ways are stories are similar. We were both mothers fighting for more time with our children. Her courage in the face of adversity is perhaps the most inspiring. She was truly an "Amazing Ray of Sunshine." You can read more about Sarah at http://hornlink.blogspot.com/2013/04/healing_9.html or in this beautiful tribute to Sarah, 

http://blog.al.com/live/2013/12/life_stories_amazing_ray_of_su.html?fb_action_ids=10202264129898588&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=s%3DshowShareBarUI%3Ap%3Dfacebook-like&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B451542708279596%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%22s%3DshowShareBarUI%3Ap%3Dfacebook-like%22%5D. 

As I travel down the east coast, I will carry Sarah's spirit and courage. I hope to offer Sarah's "Rays of Sunshine" to each cancer survivor I meet. Sarah's spirit will live on!

Please consider donating to a wonderful organization and helping me reach my goal! Together we will change lives!

Thank you and FIGHT ON!