To EveryoneAfter 9 wonderful years, we have decided to end the Heather Saler Walk for many reasons. We want to thank all of you for your continued support throughout the years. Heather would be so proud of what we have all accomplished with her amazing walk. She would be thrilled at how much her walk had grown and how much her walk had raised over the years for lung cancer research. Although her walk has ended, We will continue to support lung cancer research . Thank you all again for your loyal support.HEATHER SALER LUNG CANCER WALK9 years ago, when Heather started this walk, she had a dream of helping to find a cure for lung cancer! She wanted to help spread awareness across the country! She wanted to find a way to have more support systems for lung cancer victims and survivors! Her walk - The Heather Saler Lung Cancer Walk- has done this many times over!There are over 42 lung cancer walks across the country modeled after her walk, there have been several grants given out for lung cancer research with the money our walk has raised and there are more and more support groups popping us across the country! Awareness has grown substantially.We are so proud of what Heather started and what all of you have helped us accomplish in the last 9 years. We know Heather is proud of all of us:)Thank You all sincerelyHeather Saler 9th Annual Lung Cancer WalkSaturday November 3rd, 2012!!!Thank you all for helping make this another wonderful walk !! Despite the horrible weather ( Hurricane), power outages and just plain raw cold, we still had almost 600 participants registered!. Also, We have raised over $78K so far for lung cancer research this year. We could not have done this without our wonderful volunteers , participants, sponsors , massagers, facepainters and food and gift donators!!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!Click here if you would like to donate to our event :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The day is more than about raising money, it's about making a difference. Thank you, Heather, for bringing us together.
Heather Saler was one of the first patient advocates for LUNGevity's Lung Cancer Support Community. In 2004, Heather pioneered LUNGevity's first fundraising walk, in South Jersey, and raised $31,000. Before that, LUNGevity had not raised money through regional events.
Before her death in May 2008, Heather helped raised over $250,000! And there are now about 40 events across the country modeled after her walk.____________________________________________
______________________________________PAST EVENTS
Thank you all for joining us at HEATHER SALER WALK JOINS SUZIE Q'S FROZEN YOGURT for a Delicious Fundraiser
Cathy, Tyler, Scott and Melissa raised $100!!!!!
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Thank you all for attending the Barbecue for Lung Cancer EventJackie Harper and her crew raised over $3800!! Fantastic!!--------------------------------------------------Thank you all for joining us at our first fundraiser:Heather Saler 9th Annual Lung Cancer Walk joins with Saladworks.With what we raised plus a big donation from Saladworks, we have a $500 Saladworks sponsorship!!!Great job !!!!-----------------------------------------------Thank you all for attending Heather Geraghty's Second Annual Fundraiser!!!!A Touch of ClassThe event raised almost $3000 for Lungevity!Amazing!_________________________Please view the attached link regarding our good friend Jill Feldman. Jill and Heather were good friends and both have been instrumental in the spirit of Lungevity!
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Cancer is so limited that:
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the spirit
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Tyler Rudnick, Heather's son, wrote about his hero, his mom, for a school report. It is so heartfelt!!
Tyler Rudnick Language Arts 3/9/11 Period 5-6
My mom. There are so many words that come to mind when i think of her. Funny, vibrant, caring, and most importantly my hero.
I picked my mother as my hero because to so many people she was a hero, including me. She was such a great mother. Always putting my needs before her own. Always taking me on a new adventure every day. I never knew what to expect when i woke up but i always knew i would have a great day just because she was there. There was never a time that she didn't make me smile or laugh. Even all my friends loved her and she loved all of them. They all thought of my mom as a second mother to them, and she thought of them as her own children. Always welcoming and warm. She really did make you feel at home when you walked in.
Everything was just perfect until she got diagnosed with lung cancer.
At first no one would tell me what was wrong other than "she was just sick" because of my age. But I always knew it was more than that. She had to go into the hospital multiple times but came out within a few weeks. But as the "sickness" got worse she went into the hospital for longer periods of time and I was told that it was actually lung cancer.
I couldn't bear to hear those words, and neither could my mom. But do you think she let that slow her down? No. she stayed stronger than ever. Even stronger than me. She battled cancer for 5 years. But she never showed a trace of doubt. She made sure she did everything she could to beat cancer and still had fun at the same time. She went on cruises and climbed waterfalls and went to beautiful islands with my step dad who supported her the entire time.
It wasn't until my birthday that she got real bad. She went into the hospital after my party and stayed there for many months. She slowly got worse and everyone starting losing faith. But not her. Not my mother. she's too strong. She made the nurses give her all her medicine at the right time and worked on breathing exercises.
The tests that the doctors held showed no sign of improvement. It took a turn for the worse. She quickly became worse and was told she may only have a few days to live. Most people wouldn't know how to handle hearing something like this. But, of course she could. She took it as a chance to live the rest of her life to the fullest. She made tons of jokes and made everyone laugh and never stopped smiling.
I didn't know she had a few days left until my guidance counselor took me out of class to tell me my dad was here. He told me he wanted to go to the hospital with me. I knew right then she didn't have much time at all. When we got to the hospital all the nurses and doctors looked at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen. I walked into the room and saw my mom smiling of course. I stayed and talked to her a little while.
My grandma took me out into the hallway and told me they were going to make her fall asleep. After she fell asleep they would turn off the machines that helped almost all of her breathing. When i went back int the room i was only allowed to stay a few more minutes. But I couldn't even stay that long without crying. My mom knew once I left it would be the last time she saw me and this would be the last time I ever saw her too. I kissed her on the cheek and whispered "I love you". She whispered "I love you too." I hugged her and walked into the hallway and cried.
I was at my grandmas for my grandpa's birthday party when my dad took me into my room and told me she had not made it. It took me a few hours to register what exactly he had just said, and when it hit me I cried all night long. but I can't let those feeling get in the way. I need to only remember the good times and stay strong like my mother had.
It takes so much strength to forget all your troubles and just live life like she had. In the worst of times, she remained confident and fearless thoughout everything. May she forever remain in all of the hearts she has touched.
My family, friends and I, have a walk to help raise money for lung cancer research. She has inspired so many people to have a walk of their own. She was the first person to have a lung cancer walk in this country. Now there are many across the country. She started the walk when she had cancer . When she passed away we named it The Heather Saler Lung Cancer Walk. Over 600 people attend the walk every year and we raise about One hundred thousand dollars a year towards research.
It may be too late to save my mother but it's not too late to save people in the future. Hopefully one day there will be a cure for lung cancer. Until then we will have this walk every year until a cure is found. This is why my mother is
