In partnership with Delta Airlines.
As women, we know that breast cancer is a possibility, but we don’t always realize the severity of the illness until it effects someone we love.
I’ll never forget that day, in February 2013, when my mother told me that she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. My heart dropped as my mind and soul were overtaken by fear, and tears rolled down my face. You’re my mother, my protector, my guide, my friend… why, how, why is this happening, is all I could think?
Despite this awful news, you were still so optimistic, strong, courageous, and committed to fighting! Even though you had both good and bad days, you were always in great spirits – determined not to let this disease beat you, and it hasn’t! In fact, she is coming up on 5 years of celebrating remission, which means she has shown no signs or symptoms of cancer.
Delta One BCRF
To continue celebrating my mother surviving this deadly disease, and, to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I took my mom on the 15th annual Delta Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) flight. The flight kicks off Delta’s month-long effort to generate awareness and raise funds for Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Since 2005, Delta employees and customers have raised $16.7 million dollars for BCRF. Last year alone, the Delta family raised $2.1 million, and this year, we were determined to raise even more money for breast cancer research.
I wish that I had a video to share with you because words aren’t going to do this experience justice. The celebration started at 10:30am at the flight’s boarding gate in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Terminal. The gate was decorated with pink balloons, banners, and treats, and there were women in pink everything! As soon as we walked up, the Delta family embraced my mom with open arms, literally. I was so happy to see a huge smile on her face and sense that she felt safe and at home.
The gate preflight party was spent singing and dancing. Before we knew it, the ladies started an electric slide that must have excited the DJ because the next thing you knew, we were all doing the cupid shuffle. I’m not lying… see for yourself on my Instagram highlights. The party didn’t stop there. Once we finally boarded and the gate closed, the celebration continued. Everyone was on their feet – excited and happy. Before take-off, the captain had to make an announcement that while he didn’t want us to sit down, we had to stop partying for a minute so that we could buckle up and safely take off. It was hilarious!
The Flight
The Delta Family continued to spoil my mother and I onboard. Ahead of the flight, I knew that the Delta team arranged for us to fly First Class, but I had no idea that this flight included Delta One seating. As I’m sure you can imagine, I was pumped!!! Especially since I recently shared in my Barcelona post that I’ve been bitten by the Delta One cabin bug lol. To be honest, I only got to enjoy the 180 reclining seats for about 20 minutes because as soon as lunch was over, the ladies formed a conga line around the plane. I am not exaggerating when I say that we laughed, danced, smiled, and partied from 10:30am through boarding at 12pm until we landed in San Diego, CA. It was amazing!
In addition to all of the fun, all 160 passengers were collectively contributing and donating to raising money for BCRF. There were all sorts of things up for sale like pink ribbon pins and rhinestone hats, of which 100% of the proceeds went to research projects. We raised $7K in flight, which was then matched by Delta Executives onboard, taking the in-flight total dollars raised for breast cancer research to $14K. Customers and employees can also support this year’s BCRF fundraising efforts by donating to BCRF onboard flights – and virtually year-round – on delta.com and through SkyWish, the charitable arm of Delta’s SkyMiles program that allows Delta and its SkyMiles members to donate miles to charitable organizations worldwide.
BCRF
There was so much more to this experience than just the flight. It was a chance for so many survivors and fighters to rejoice in a safe space, but also a chance for us all to learn more about BCRF.
BCRF is a nonprofit organization committed to achieving prevention and a cure for breast cancer. BCRF provides critical funding for cancer research worldwide to fuel advances in tumor biology, genetics, prevention, treatment, metastasis and survivorship. Since its founding in 1993, BCRF has raised more than half a billion dollars for lifesaving research. Also, research is the reason there are more than 3.5 million breast cancer survivors – like my mother – in the U.S., and deaths from breast cancer have declined by nearly 40% over the last 25 years.
While it was an extremely emotional day, it was also very empowering and informative. I’m so thankful that my mother and I were able to experience this opportunity together. The trip was also a reminder that we can’t take life for granted. Yes, this disease has effected me personally, but honestly, after hearing so many stories, like the young lady who just turned 18 and was battling breast cancer, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t all be contribute to funding the research that will hopefully cure this disease. I hope that our experiences and stories encourage you to contribute to helping in producing better outcomes and transforming lives.
What do you think?