The first annual Walk 4Love benefitting Pediatric Cancer Research will be September 19th, 2009. This walk is in honor of my cousin Jana and is for an AMAZING cause. Please click here to sign up or for more information. If you are interested in sponsoring, please click here.It was in mid May of 2003, the day of junior prom. While most girls were worrying about make-up and their prom dress, I had larger issues at hand. I received a phone call that no sixteen year old should receive; I had cancer. My summer was spent in and out of the hospital, getting chemotherapy and radiation treatments for soft tissue sarcoma. I had the love and support from family, friends, and my boyfriend Sean, so I was able to focus and stay positive. It may sound odd, but I was lucky to be 16 and 5'7" when I received the intense treatments. Children who have not gone through their growth spurt often never reach their full height. I became more educated about the effects of treatments during my second battle with cancer. This time around I was diagnosed with AML, a type of leukemia that was the result of my treatments from 5 years prior. I am 21 years old and tiredof seeing so many suffer from cancer, especially children. More research and funding needs to be placed on pediatric cancer. So that every child can be a child.
Since then Jana has passed on and her family and friends have become focused on Jana’s dream. The Jana Piccola Walk 4Love embraces Jana’s dream and is fully focused on raising funds towards pediatric cancer research.
– Jana Piccola
