Willow Glen Resident

Community

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Filled with Purpose: Georgia Ladd's personal struggle with breast cancer was the catalyst for her to initiate the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event in Willow Glen six years ago.

Ladd's cancer diagnosis became impetus for WG Relay for Life

By Ashley Rodriguez

Her name may be familiar to residents, but her story might not be.

It was Georgia Ladd's own struggle with breast cancer that became the catalyst for creating the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event in Willow Glen six years ago.

The 24-hour relay is the signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. It takes place in communities throughout the South Bay and is billed as a "celebration of life." Its purpose is to raise awareness about the disease, remember those who succumbed to the disease and raise funds for cancer research.

This year's walk will take place at Willow Glen High School on April 29-30.

The journey for Ladd began eight years ago with biopsy results that read "suspicious for cancer," after her doctor found a lump during her yearly exam.

"I just started shaking and crying," Ladd says. "I immediately called my husband Tom, and when he didn't answer, I called my mom."

Tom rushed home to be by her side, and the couple cried and hugged each other. Ladd then called her oldest daughter Jeni, but waited until a few days before the surgery to tell their youngest daughter Kayla, who was 10 at the time.

"We all sat in a big comfy chair with Kayla on our lap" Ladd says. "She started crying and asked if I was going to die, and we assured her 'no.' "

Ladd decided on bilateral mastectomies followed by six months of chemotherapy. Today things are looking much brighter for Ladd, who has checkups every six months and remains free of new symptoms.

Shortly after Ladd's diagnosis, a co-worker joined the Campbell Relay for Life O'Connor team and dedicated all of her fundraising efforts in Ladd's honor.

Ladd was unfamiliar with the event, but her co-worker invited her to join.

"Kayla and I went out, felt the energy and saw the festivities," she says. "We were hooked."

Ladd was also touched by the effort on her behalf, and pursued ways to start a Willow Glen chapter of Relay for Life.

"Relay is about hope and reality," Ladd says. "Humans have an infinite amount of hope and [the] relay is a good place to focus that hope."

Ladd says the event pertains to all forms of cancer and the search for a cure. Because she has lost many loved ones to cancer, the relay is important to her.

"I remain overwhelmed that my efforts have brought about such a successful community event," Ladd says. "It's stirred up hope and become a place for sharing."

Ladd credits its success to friends and family who have helped throughout the years. "Without Pam Greene, Debbie Evans, Sherry Rodriguez and Nancy Doudell, the relay would not be possible," she notes.

Ladd hopes this year's relay will be bigger than last year's, which raised $65,000. She welcomes volunteers in many areas: joining a team, sponsoring a team, volunteering to drive patients to appointments, dedicating luminarias or helping out with the entertainment at the event.

For those fighting cancer and feeling as if they have no hope, Ladd offers some advice.

"Come out to relay and experience all the efforts that are going into fighting this disease," she says. "Join the festive celebration of life and feel the electric atmosphere of hope."

Looking back, Ladd describes her experience as a journey into self-discovery.

"I'm just an ordinary person, whose ordinary story led me to try something that turned out to be something extraordinary."

The sixth annual Willow Glen Relay for Life takes place on April 29-30 at Willow Glen High School, 2001 Cottle Ave., on the school track.

To volunteer or participate in the event, contact Jess Herrera at 408.688.0108 Jess.herrera@cancer.org.