Meet a fellow 3-Day Walker.... Lori Sacksteder Craig

(from Lori's 3-Day fundraising page)

My journey began on May 3rd, 2007 when my younger sister Kristi called me and told me she had Stage 2B Breast Cancer. The next day I was going to be turning 32 years old, and my sister had just had her 28th Birthday 10 days prior. My sister was living in Cleveland at the time, and had just gotten married to her husband Dustin the previous August. She was working as a CPA and her husband was preparing to graduate from law school and take a job as a lawyer in Columbus, which meant that she would be moving within the next month. My first thought was how could my 28 year old sister have breast cancer because I thought that this was a cancer that older people got. I soon learned that this occurred in younger people as well. My sister and her husband wanted to start a family around this time, and 2 weeks after her cancer diagnosis she found out that she was 5 weeks pregnant. With several hours and days of nonstop prayers, and advice from doctors at The Ohio State University, Kristi and Dustin decided to continue with her pregnancy, as well as doing some treatment at the same time. The doctors assured my sister and her husband that the chemotherapy she would be getting during her pregnancy would not harm her unborn baby, so she proceeded with treatment. Due to the fact that she was pregnant and had cancer it was recommended that she not have her mastectomy until she was 29 weeks pregnant in case the baby became in distress during her surgery. At 29 weeks she had a successful surgery, and her baby girl Addison Hope was born 13 days later by emergency C-section at 31 weeks gestation. Addison was born weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces and remained in the NICU unit of the hospital for a month, and went home on Christmas Day. During this time Kristi was recovering from a mastectomy, a C-section, and the side effects from chemotherapy, and was unable to drive herself, and yet she was at the hospital NICU unit everyday for Addison Hope. Addison arrived home and still was considered a medically fragile baby, but my sister carried on with her chemotherapy and radiation treatments while caring for Addison. Addison was growing quickly, and several months later we had a party and a cake celebrating the end of cancer treatment for Kristi.

Fast forward to April 2011. Kristi's initial diagnosis had occurred 4 years prior. Kristi and Dustin were going about their lives, and had a 1 year old boy, Chase, to add to their family at this time. Kristi had a cough that was lingering so she went to the doctor to get it checked out. Shortly after talking to the doctor and having numerous tests Kristi found out that her cancer had recurred as Stage 4 breast cancer that had metastasized to her brain, her lungs, her liver, and her bones. She began treatment again, lost her hair again, and battled everyday with this recurrence. Now she wondered how she would explain this to 3 year old Addison, and one year old Chase. In November, Kristi's cancer had spread more and caused multiple fractures in her back and in her hip, which has prevented her to care for her two small children alone. Kristi has the unconditional support and assistance of her many family and friends, and she has people all across the country praying for her full recovery.

Why am I doing this walk? Why am I raising $2300 for research? I lost my Aunt Karen, my Aunt Ginia, and my Aunt Paula to breast cancer several years ago, so I walk in their memory. My cousin, Kari, was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 2011 at age 30, and is currently in remission. She also has two young children. I especially walk for my sister, Kristi, who continues to approach her stage 4 breast cancer with grace, while battling through fatigue and the side effects of everyday treatment. Kristi may not physically be able to walk 60 miles with me, but she remains my biggest cheerleader throughout this entire process and will be at the Cleveland cheering station on August 3, 2012!