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When Rita Thomas, who has twice survived breast cancer, woke up last month, at the age of 56, the last thing that went through her head was to receive a gift.
"Instead of thinking about the kind of gifts I will receive for my birthday or who was going to bring me food, I just started having all those ideas on a breast cancer awareness lunch," he said. she said.
After only a month to plan, the 13-year-old survivor appealed to her friend and survivor, Karen Lester, to help implement the plan.
"I sat in my bed and started sending SMS to Karen immediately. I said, "Do you think we can do that? She said, "I think we can do it," Thomas recalls.
Both saw the vision come true on Saturday by hosting their first annual Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon, not only to give back to life, but also to offer platforms a platform to celebrate life, share their journey and educate them about life. others on the appalling disease.
Lester said about two years ago that they had made t-shirts, gathered a few women and took pictures. Thomas has been brought to do something more this year.
"It was Rita's vision that God had put on her heart," said Lester. "And I just took it and ran with it, and it was so good that everyone we asked said yes. Everyone made a donation. "
Thomas said lunch was born of a need for help for breast cancer victims and survivors in the area.
"We do not really have a place where women can meet and enrich each other, love each other, encourage each other, encourage each other," she said.
"Karen and I want to pay tribute to the women of Marshall, Texas who have had breast cancer," said Thomas. "We wanted to do something to let people know that there is a network. You are not in this business for yourself. "
Testimonies on Saturday include Tempestt Olivia Ventura, breast cancer survivor and mother of Marshall, 27, and Mary Lou Taylor, 45-year-old survivor and music teacher; and the Wiley College Interdisciplinary Studies Chair, Dr. Carol Hicks, who is currently going through the battle. The keynote speaker was a resident of Hallsville and her mother, four children, Sharon Ventimiglia.
The Turner Sisters, a group of brothers singing gospel, inspired the guests by singing a special tribute: "Lord, it was you, shooting me through" and Wilette Williams, a 10-year-old survivor, blessed the guests with a dance of praise to the song of the gospel artist Jessica Reedy "Better. "
"We have strength, power, and hope in the room," said Thomas, looking at the dozen standing women who were survivors or were currently fighting.
"We do not present our face with sorrow, but we present the face of hope," she said. "It's something that tells you what you live and gives (hope) to others who face what you face."
The coordinators thanked all those who made the special day by donating their time and services.
"We did not really have to pay for anything, but the food, and then the caterer gave his time; the photographer gave of his time, "said Thomas, noting that the photographer was Dale W. Smith and that the caterer was her husband, Tony Thomas.
Cecilia 'CeCe' Turner from Elaborate Designs has also donated her services. Tamika Hill donated cupcakes.
"All the people we called were under the banner of" yes, "Thomas said.
She added that they also had the chance to book the Elks Lodge after garnering so much interest from those who had seen the ad on Facebook.
"We had the fire station at first; they could only hold 55 people. Our response on Facebook has been overwhelming. people said I wanted to come. I was as if God had given me this vision, so what are we going to do because we are lacking space? "
She said that a lady had asked her if she had ever considered housing the Elks and that things were spoiling.
"It's amazing how different we are, but we have the same experiences," Thomas said of people affected by the disease.
That's why his vision of a support group is important.
"People know that there are other people who are experiencing exactly the same thing and we are not talking about it. So that's our vision of this type of group, "said Thomas. "I am so excited to see the number of people who have come today because we really want to continue this way."
All participants in the program thanked the coordinators for allowing them to share their journey.
"This Monday, I will meet the radiation machine for the first time and then, over the next six weeks, I will be able to switch to radiation," said Hicks. "I have prayers in South Texas. I have them in Tennessee. I have a lot of prayer warriors, especially here in Marshall who helps me overcome all this. "
"I was just lucky that the chemo had failed so much," she said, also thanking her support system.
Taylor, a 45-year-old survivor, was diagnosed when her daughter was 9 years old. On Saturday, she congratulated God for allowing her to tell her story in the presence of her family – her daughter, granddaughter and new-born great grandson – representing three generations.
"I'm close to tears, but I'm going to try to get through it. The last 45 years have been beautiful, "said Taylor. "I am so grateful to have seen the insight of self-examination. That's how I survived.
She said that she was only 29 when she felt like a lump the size of a marble, which earned her her diagnosis and her journey. towards recovery.
"I am very grateful for this opportunity to share my story," Taylor said. "I want you to know that self-examination is the key. We must know our body. "
"I am a breast cancer survivor and I am very proud to say that because I have been blessed for 45 years," she added. "I am so grateful. I love life. "
Ventimiglia, who was diagnosed with stage 3 to age 34 breast cancer in November 2016, said her battle revealed the purpose of her life.
"During my trip, I created my own organization," Team Venti, "she said. "I just created my own design, created my own logo and created wings because it represents for me an angel of protection. Often, breast cancer is considered a death, but for me, my organization is a hope.
"Virtually all of my recipes go to families with breast cancer," Ventimiglia said.
Until now, the organization has donated more than $ 2,000 to families to help them in their fight against breast cancer.
"The problem is that I always had the habit of saying," What is my goal? Said Ventimiglia. "I went to school, Wiley, for criminal justice."
But "it's my goal: to defend the interests of people with cancer, to make their voices heard and to let them know that everything is fine," Ventimiglia said.
She said that her trip had even brought her to sell life insurance now. She has met so many breast cancer survivors and even had the chance to offer a cancer policy as an insurance agent to help others.
"All my journey, I put on Facebook, to let people know that it was okay to cross things, that it was not the end of the world," Ventimiglia said. "And for me, to be here, all my eyes are different. I smiled, 24/7. I was doing chemotherapy while laughing. That's how I manage things.
"I'm thankful and grateful to be here because some people have not survived," she said, grateful for the moment she rang the bell in May 2017, marking the end of her terrible fight.
"God has given me the opportunity to help others by transforming my trial to bless others," Ventimiglia said.
"I congratulate everyone here," she says.
She advised people to give up regardless of the lawsuit they are facing.
"I am a living testimony. It gets better. God will turn your trial into a testimony, "said Ventimiglia, closing with the verse from the Bible: Ecclesiastes 9:11.
Thomas thanked Lester for working with him to make lunch a reality.
"She was instrumental in the necessary steps," said Thomas, a professor at Jarvis Christian College. "I do not know anyone with whom I would rather share this trip and give birth to Karen Lester because she's so darling. We worked that together. "
"She is my source of inspiration. She inspires me, "said Lester about Thomas, his former university professor.
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