Last week brought a successful conclusion to the C2C journey. The closing ceremony was fabulous. Everything from the beautiful Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, CA, to the great weather, wonderful food, refreshments, and entertainment was tastefully conceived and executed. Lori and Ashley, thanks is not enough for the wonderful celebration.
To me the most inspiring aspect of the evening was the warmth and caring of the attendees. The genuine concern and love they have for people and the cause that brought us together.
The speakers and videos were simultaneously heart warming and heartbreaking. Anybody who attended the event couldn't help but be affected by the juxtaposition of the joy and the poignancy of the moment.
As the C2C Project Manager, I was a little overcome with thoughts of what I could have done to make C2C better, but those thoughts and conversations with myself and others are for another day.
What started as a tribute to a young wife and mother ended as a celebration of the METAvivors and METAvivor. To all the wonderful, hardworking and dedicated researchers, doctors, staff, supporters, and most importantly to the many members of the "METS" community we met along the way and to the ones we couldn't see this time, hopefully this journey will help to make metastatic breast cancer a manageable condition and someday vanquished from our world.
I became involved in C2C over two years ago as the result of an innocent request from my wife Doris Ann (aka Lady Danger), a tireless advocate for herself and others. She is my best buddy and it seems I've known her all my life, maybe longer. Although her journey has been arduous, she is resilient and relentless, living her life to its fullest.
To the entire team that made this event happen, too numerous to mention, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you. Without your efforts, creativity, skills, and hard work C2C couldn't have happened.
Through my entire involvement with C2C there have been two constants: CJ, "the Energizer Bunny" of C2C, and DeWayne Wilcher, "Mr. MetsMobile". CJ worked tirelessly on so many aspects of the project it would take a book to list them. DeWayne worked on an innumerable number of tasks to make the project successful, but the one that truly stands out in my mind and defined the campaign was the MetsMobile. DeWayne conceived the idea to have the vehicle wrapped, found a fabulous company to create and apply the wrap, and advocated for it until it became reality. Thanks guys without you C2C wouldn't have happened.
Last and obviously not least are the ladies of the drive. Kelly Lange and Marlene King, in spirit; CJ (Dian) Corneliussen-James, Lisa Schofield, and Beth Fairchild; Lori Marx-Rubiner, Jaynie Cohen, and Stephanie Klasky-Gamer. Through miles and miles of driving, endless setup and take down of displays, visits with researchers, patients, supporters, endless late nights and encounters with tornadoes and hail storms, you ladies truly shined from Sea to Sea, telling cancer that we don't know when and we don't know how but damn cancer you're going down.
Congratulations and thank you.
Aaron Price
