Tiffany Bond is Taking Steps Against Breast Cancer!

Celebrating the personal fundraising page for The Jackie Bond Bunch Team

In 2008 my mom and I were both diagnosed with cancer within the same week. She had breast cancer and I had Oropharynx (throat) cancer HPV related. I was 39 and she was 61. My beautiful sister in law was diagnosed with colon cancer within the same month as us. She was 56.

My chemotherapy and radiation treatment saved my life but one week after I finished my 35th radiation treatment I lost my greatest love and best friend, my mom to the cancer. I was so incredibly sick and had such low blood counts from my treatment that I was not able to visit her in the hospital because of the risk to my own life. By the time I finally insisted that I be taken to her (my own health be damned), she was unconscious. I never got to speak to her again. The pain of losing her was the greatest and deepest pain I have ever known. During this time every ounce of faith, emotional and physical energy I had was tested.

My sister in law Catherine was taken from us months later. Being with her in the last few moments of her life was absolutely gut wrenching. She had become so very sick I barely recognized her when I got to the hospital the day she died.

In 2009, I tested positive for the BRCA 1 breast cancer gene. This meant that I had a 50 to 85 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 20 to 40 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer. Instead of waiting for the cancer to possibly come get me I decided to go get it. As a result I had a hysterectomy in Sept 2010 and a double mastectomy and reconstruction in Nov 2010. After my surgery I developed a never diagnosed infection in which my body started attacking itself.

My breasts basically started melting (though the reconstruction consisted of my own body fat). Very nasty things were happening to my body and in fact I was moved to a private room and quarantined. Medical specialist from PMH, TGH and Mt. Sinai all collaborated to try and determine what was going on. Most of them had never seen anything like this infection. The infectious disease dept at TGH was able to entice a highly regarded Dermatologist from Mt.Sinai to come over to see me. Though he did not know what exactly the infection was he was able to come up with some extreme antibiotics which actually worked. After two weeks in the hospital I was finally able to leave though I had to have home care to come look after my breasts which were actually called wounds at that point. They eventually healed.

Do I regret anything I have done? Absolutely not!!! Would I do it again? Absolutely!!

After coming so very close to death in 2008 my goal then was to survive, but now that I am healed and have learned to deal with the side effects of my treatment, my goal is to share my hope with others and to give back for all that I have been given.

This is the 4th year that I will walk as part of the team created in my Mom’s honor. We are a group of friends and family members that have come together to celebrate my moms life by raising funds for the disease that took it. Our team is over 15 in number (many of which are 12 and under) and has become a tradition of sorts.

I walk to “FIGHT BACK” against this disease. Doing this and raising funds is the only way I know how to fight back. I am a survivor and as such I feel I owe my life to helping to make a difference for the future generations. I want this to be my legacy.

Learn more about Taking Steps Against Breast Cancer in Whitby.

About the Canadian Cancer Society
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national, community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer. For more information, visit www.cancer.ca.

If you have heard of the Samko & Miko Toy Warehouse Sale that is great but if you haven’t, it is an awesome sale that happens twice a year in both Toronto and Richmond Hill. It is a great place to shop for Christmas/Chanukah/Birthday/any reason toys/gifts for kids.

They will donate 10% of whatever the total sales of all receipts (before tax of course) to the Jackie Bond Bunch add up to. This includes receipts from both the Toronto and/or the Richmond Hill store during the upcoming summer sale which is May 25th – June 9th.

In case you aren’t aware Jackie Bond Bunch is our team name in the “Taking Steps against Breast Cancer” walk benefiting the Canadian Cancer Society occurring on September 29th, 2013 in Whitby, Ontario.

Once you have paid, tell them that your donation is going to Jackie Bond Bunch and get your receipt stamped “fundraiser”. Please keep the receipt to hand in to me or whoever has mailed this email to you. I will need all receipts by the end of June for us to be able to get our donations.

I have attached the summer flyer for you but remember there is a lot more items in the actual warehouses. Please pass on to anyone and everyone you know and get them to get their receipt stamped “fundraiser” and tell them the donations go to the Jackie Bond Bunch. The addresses for both locations are on the attached confirmation page.
Here is their website as well www.samkosales.com