She captured my heart the moment I met her. Infectious laugh, bright eyes, and an appetite for big dreams and even bigger possibilities. The last time I saw her, she hung off the side of a cliff like she was born to scale mountains. She took to rock climbing faster than any of the rest of us at our First Descent’s survivor camp last September. She was, and will always be, a petite powerhouse.

I can’t wrap my head around the reality that she’s gone.

One year ago, we were the same. Two young breast cancer survivors with hair on our heads and our lives ahead of us. Today, her family and friends gathered around a hospital bed in Seattle to say goodbye.

The random injustice of cancer makes my fists curl into tight balls as I suck oxygen over my clenched teeth. A freight train of sadness is building in my heart and I am livid at cancer for stealing one of the best people I have ever known.

Why did she have to suffer? Why was her Fresh Chapter so short? On a hike in Moab – almost exactly one year ago – I told her about plans for our pilot program in India. She asked question after question and told me she couldn’t wait to do something big with her life after cancer. Maybe move to a new city. Maybe travel with the Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation (FCAF) to a new country. Whatever she decided, she was excited for her next chapter.

Instead, her story ended way too soon.

This afternoon, I can’t stop the tears from spilling onto my cheeks. She and I will never have an adventure in India or Africa together. She won’t meet other survivors at a FCAF program and entertain them with her outlandish stories or win them over with her giant heart.

The drum of urgency beats like a cannon in my heart. We need more programs for survivors NOW. We need more opportunities for patients and survivors to believe in new possibilities and have meaningful adventures while they are here on earth. Cancer won’t wait and we can’t either.

It’s Time To Bring The Dream Home 

It’s time to take the big hairy audacious dreaming spirit that launched a volunteer trip around the world and took 12 cancer survivors to India and bring it home. Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation plans to roll out our first North American program in Los Angeles THIS November. That’s right. This November. It’s time to expand our programming so that patients and survivors who may not be well enough to travel to the other side of the world will have access to programs that help them find meaning and purpose NOW.

We want to impact the lives of 16 patients and survivors of all types of cancer. 16 people who have been through hell, who don’t know what the future holds for them, and who deserve to believe in BIG dreams and possibilities NOW.

For 3 powerful days, we’ll bring together patients and survivors in the LA area with a few returning India participants who need additional support. Together, we’ll volunteer with a local community project and give our survivors a once in a lifetime experience. Some of the adventure is still under wraps, but we want each survivor to walk away from the weekend feeling LUCKY. This combination of volunteering and adventure will remind survivors that it’s never too late to have a dream come true moment and will give them meaningful experiences to hold on to as they navigate their uncertain futures.

We believe EVERYONE deserves the opportunity to find more meaning and possibility in their lives and we believe in creating opportunities for cancer survivors to make the most of the time here on earth. Will you join us?

Making Dreams A Reality Together

1. Make a Donation Today – Every dollar donated will help us get our pilot program off the ground and create a model for future programs in major cities across North America. Our first FCAF Game Changer – Nisha Paul – has already raised $2035 for FCAF and we reopened her campaign due to popular demand. Donate before midnight October 10, 2013 to help her reach her goal and you will directly impact the lives of 16 cancer survivors and the not for profit in LA where we’ll volunteer. Every single dollar donated goes directly to FCAF.

2. Join Us in LA – Are you a cancer survivor or currently in treatment for cancer? Do you want first dibs on being involved in our very first FCAF North American Program or to have the first shot in applying for our next international program (slated for March 2014 in India). If  you are not yet a member of our tribe of survivors, click here to join the FCAF Tribe.

3. Spread the Word – Please help us share the word on Facebook and Twitter. With your help, Nisha will hit her fundraising goal and help FCAF cover the costs of food and transportation for our 16 survivors.

4. Become a FCAF Game Changer – Do you have a big dream you want to make a reality while changing the lives of cancer survivors at the same time? We’re looking for our first round of FCAF Game Changers who will achieve their dreams and change the world. Sign up here to join this exclusive tribe – FCAF Game Changers – and we’ll fill you in on what to expect and how to kick off YOUR dream.

Thank You For Changing The World With Us

Even if we can’t find a cure for cancer today and we’ll continue to lose the people we love to this senseless disease, please join me in creating opportunities for survivors to dream big, leave a legacy, and feel hopeful about fresh possibilities. Thank you for your support. We couldn’t do it without you!

To my sweet friend – T – My life is better because you were in it. Sending love and light to you as you move on to the next journey. You are one of a kind and I miss you already.