In the summer of 1999, Dolores Rosily Guirguis was diagnosed with stage lV cancer and given 6 months to live…

Dolores was a remarkable mother, wife, self-described shoe enthusiast and newly retired 55 year old with 38 years of service with LA County. She pursued the American Dream with both hands, beginning her career as a secretary and worked her way up to Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Mental Health. Dolores was also my mother and my very best friend. During what should have been her golden years she ended up in a fight, and fight she did, tooth and nail, outliving the medical prognosis by nearly 2 years. She suffered multiple aggressive surgeries, multiple procedures and chemotherapy. Her body swelled with edema but still she fought. With the time and energy she had left, she joined a support group so that she might find and give comfort to others because just like she taught my sister, Lisa, and me, you are stronger than you know and you are even stronger together than alone.

Because of my mother’s impact on my sister and I we both pursued careers that might positively impact and support better outcomes for the world we live in. Today, my sister is a renowned breast cancer surgeon in Sacramento and I work for the welfare of children and their families in the city I grew up in, Pasadena. We both see first hand that cancer and misfortune forever changes people’s lives, not discriminating against race, color, orientation, beliefs or economic conditions.

So, this year I've heeded my mother’s echoed words of wisdom and I will be putting them into action by participating in AVON 39 The Walk to End Breast Cancer in September 2017. It will be two days and 39 miles of sore muscles, possible blisters and the absolute joy of giving back. And, I am not doing this alone.  

I have joined the Pink Turtles Team, founded by my friend Maria Lopez, who lost her own mother and sister to heart disease. She started on her own journey to a healthier life by exercising and walking and has extended her efforts by forming a team of women and men, of different ages and fitness levels, to participate in this amazing event. 

Part of this journey is also about fear and mine is about asking for help and that help comes in the form of asking for donations, ok, along with walking 39 miles. That being said, I will walk every step, but I need your help, your contributions, so that I can raise $1,800 dollars. The money raised through the AVON 39 goes to fund vitally important research and community programs both locally and nationally. This event is about helping to saving lives, about being stronger together and I'm ready to do my part. Are you?

In advance, thank you for your support and for helping me help to fight breast cancer! I will keep you updated on my training progress and share this adventure of love and effort. 

You can make a donation right here on my webpage by clicking the "Donate Now" button to the right. If you prefer to write a check, click the “Donate By Mail” button and follow the instructions on the form.

Your donations will be managed and disbursed by the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. The dollars you pledge will put food on the table of a breast cancer patient and her family. They will enable access to mammograms and medicine, fuel research, and save lives. Need any more reason to click that Donate Now button?