In the last six years, I have become all too familiar with the toll cancer inflicts on the patient, caregivers, family, friends, and the treating doctors. The patient faces the most difficult fight of their life and often times the odds are stacked against them. Caregivers are lost for words and work tirelessly to support their loved one. Families pull together and fall apart over a disease that provides no answers. Friends surround you with love and support during the darkest of days. And the doctors carry the weight of uncertainty with available treatment options and the harsh reality of the patients future.
Unfortunately, our family experienced all of this first hand when my Dad was diagnosed with stage 3B prostate cancer in 2013. It’s been almost three years since he passed away and my entire family remembers the numerous appointments, bouncing around from doctor to doctor, sleepless nights, and sickness that soon follows treatment. But what I remember most of all is the strength and bravery my Dad displayed every day as he fought cancer fearlessly until he lost the battle.
In 2020 Salisbury, NC will become the home of the Wallace Cancer Center which will provide all the services a cancer patient and caregivers need under one roof. I am so honored and proud of my mother-in-law (Mona Lisa Wallace) and father-in-law (Leo Wallace III) who made this possible. Additionally, I am honored to be a member of the Campbell Classic Golf Committee, employees of the Novant Health Rowan Medical Center Foundation, and members of the community who raised $130,000.00 through our annual golf tournament to contribute to the Wallace Cancer Center.<