Article Contributed on: 9/17/2008 10:21:46 AM
Pain. Hope. Laughter. These are emotions that are plain to see in fifteen-year-old
Domonique Schwindt's eyes. In five years, the fifteen-year-old has experienced more than most of us experience in a lifetime. At age 11, Domonique saw her beautiful 30-year-old mother,
Christina, diagnosed with breast cancer.
"At first it was scary, then it became something that was at the back of our minds - present, but not quite on the surface. Then, she became progressively more ill," says Domonique
For Domonique, the Susan G. Komen Denver Race for the Cure® is bitter-sweet. It is an opportunity to honor her mother's short life, while bringing hope to others who are experiencing a similar scenario. In 2006, Domonique walked in the Race alongside her mother in the hope that the disease would not take her away from the family, but knowing that her mother was fading fast.
"My Mom was strong. She tried to prepare us for what was happening, but how can you prepare your loved ones for that?" asks Domonique. What Christina did was instill a sense of hope in her daughter. "She's no longer in pain, but she's still here with me, my brother and father. She's still here for us."
Sixth months after Christina's death in June of 2007, Domonique once again walked with her father in the 2007 Race. "It was difficult. It was emotional. But I wanted to show people that you can still have a positive impact after the fact. My mother would really want people to know that." This year, Domonique and her father have organized a team at her high school in support of the Race and will be there running on Race Day -- Sunday, October 5 at Pepsi Center.
For more information or to register for the Komen Denver Race for the Cure, visit
www.komendenver.org.