[Music] so shortly after Father's Day in 2011 and learned that my dad was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer and we lost him a couple months later than in 2014 shortly after Mother's Day lnr my mother had stage four lung and brain cancer and we lost Sheridan 2015 so I to be strong event you're dear to my heart and very glad to see it's being supported by the sheriff's office me transmission in support the friends family and individuals battling campus visit our friendship since our first race in 2012 we helped 338 families and are well on our way to giving half a million dollars to other people battling cancer and we also fund a research grant and we're thrilled to have the sheriff's office involved in the new year's event chances are someone we know someone close to us is going to be affected by cancer we hear that we County Sheriff's Office want to do all we can to support those who have battled or a battling cancer on january 28 minutes at eight o'clock me strong is going to run a 5k race we are asking everyone and see this message to come out and support this wonderful organization when this 5k race to downtown to land [Music] when I was diagnosed with cancer for the third time I had just run my first marathon and my friends wanted to find a way to do something that would make me feel supported and loved and so they asked if they could host a 5k in to land in my honor so we gave that very first race a try just to sort of inspire her but we ended up inspiring a whole community it just worked and then almost 900 people showed up and it was amazing and then we had money left over and so that's when we were like well gosh we can get this money away to people who are battling cancer and that's when we decided to take me strong to the large estates and become a 501 c 3 charity and our mission was to support the friends and families and individuals battling cancer through the power and friendships up what it's really about is just having the support and someone behind you letting you know that it's okay and you can make it there are people that are going to be out here today that have never done they can't even imagine they would have ever walk or run three mile and I think that kind of journey symbolizes what a lot of people through cancer go through they are not prepared necessarily to face with their faces and when they get through it and with the help of a lot of people kind of like getting through a race it's a mile it gives me hope I still do treatments every single month I have a battle I don't know how much longer i have but every breath i have i will definitely be helping me strong they their move there my lifeline last year I was in cash because one at nakima they were getting me some causing my feet silly strain up really bad and me and my sister wrote a tandem bike so we got to do the first race together it brings everybody together a lot of businesses support me strong we had visits before me frog we think it's great because we're pretty set in University and we're fighting for the college is why we came out he's hungry my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer a year and a half ago and I run this back to my fourth year running but we didn't think you'd be here today so he's here cheering us on on the route and we are walking today because our friend Diana Diana passed away with cancer in October so it's real and it has real crew meeting for us I'm on Team Charlie lundell and it's in honor of Charlie lundell who was a teacher at Pine Ridge High School I melanoma my wife bored me so the very important team get up we're team that off for dr. Frank now daddy I think it brings people together from different walks of life play us all kinds of people they're elderly young different races it's great that kind of birthdays right together every time I show I'm so proud to be from DeLand I've never seen an event where more people from the community come and support and cheer I feel like we're entering the fight we're fighting with people who can't fight for themselves a lot of credit goes to the five ladies that have organized me strong and not only the race but the other event that they do in and around our community and it's just a wonderful community event that brings people together and that's what makes the land a wonderful place to live work and play I think the future of me strong has no limit there are no boundaries there's no stopping us we look at it as five friends having fun and just feel that the whole community is behind us is amazing and I hope that it continues to grow and it continues to get people out supporting their friends as well as supporting myself not just if you're battling cancer but just making a commitment to living healthy I hope somebody will pick up and carry it through to hopefully a cure for cancer something that we won't have to worry about anymore it's incredible to be able to leave an impact on on the world and I feel like that's really what we're doing [Music] two I