I feel so awkward about this

I have a secret. I started running a couple months ago. When I decided to start running, I thought it would be a great idea to sign up for a race to keep me motivated. I am not athletic at all, so just the thought of signing up terrified me. Instead, I came across an ad for Moms in Motion, which has turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. It's a 10-week program that culminates with a 5k race in September. The race is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which is a charity that, unfortunately, I feel strongly about due to personal experience.

I mentioned that my Gumma passed away back in February, but I never really got into it. About three years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was too far gone to simply remove the tumor, so she had to have a mastectomy. By this time, it had already begun to spread to other parts of her body, so over the years she had several surgeries and rounds of both radiation and chemotherapy to try and combat it, but nothing worked.

She was the one family member I was closest to. From the day I was born, I've been "Gumma's girl." My Gumma was the one pacing in the waiting room when my mom was in labor. She even suggested my name. She took my mom in and taught her how to take care of a newborn. When I got older, I would spend a week at a time with my grandparents a couple times a year. She taught me how to cook and clean. She also got me hooked on Days of our Lives. She was the one I always ran to when I needed help. When we told everyone that we weren't going to be having a big wedding, and going to the Caribbean to get married instead, she immediately understood because she got me. Damon and I made our first trip to California a few months after we got married, so he could finally meet my family, and we stayed with my grandparents. We found out I was pregnant on this trip,so she was the first person we told.

It was a devastating blow for me when she told me had cancer. She was the first in her family to ever have it. She was a tough broad, and larger than life to me, so she was supposed to be around forever. I am happy that she is no longer suffering, but it breaks my heart that she won't be around to see Abby grow up. At least my Gumma got to meet her back in September.

So you can see why I was thrilled to find out that my first race was going to be a Race for the Cure. Unfortunately, this means I have to ask for money. I hope no one feels obligated to sponsor me, but I would greatly appreciate any help you can give. I completely understand if you can't or don't feel comfortable with it. Believe me, I'm not very comfortable asking. If you'd like to help, you can donate here.

We'll be back with your regularly scheduled programming shortly.