BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Lily's battle with breast cancer, and her cherished memories with friends in Bakersfield. Team Lily was founded to spread awareness to breast cancer and to honor Lily.
- Lily passed away from breast cancer in January.
- Lily and her family lived in Bakersfield for many years before moving to Hawaii.
- Lily's sister-in-law fondly remembers their time in Bakersfield as the best of their lives.
- Dr. Quiogue celebrated her 10-year cancer-versary in Hawaii.
- Nina Ha founded Team Lily and ran in a marathon.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
One local woman started a team to run a marathon to bring awareness to breast cancer in support of a friend. What started as just an idea put together in Bakersfield, made it to the finish line in Hawaii.
Nina Ha says she’s not an athlete, but one day she woke up with a calling. "One day I was just walking outdoors, and I just felt, I heard God say, you should do a run for Lily, a marathon.'"
So, she did… Lily Wood ran quite a few marathons in her life. But in 2014, Lily received the news she had breast cancer. Sadly, she passed away earlier this year. In honor of her life and love for running, Nina Ha founded "Team Lily." Nina Ha says, "I walked and ran 26.2 miles, and I could feel the wind on my back and the sun on my face, and I could feel my friend just pulling me through when it got tough."
When Lily found out she had cancer, her friends Nina Ha and Dr. Michelle Quiogue decided to get a mammogram themselves. Dr. Quiogue found out she had breast cancer too. "The way I would describe it, looking back, would be similar to a race, a triathlon like I mentioned, except that you never signed up for it and you never trained for it. You just have to get through it." Dr. Quiogue said.
Dr. Quiogue says, that this is her cancer-versary — a day that marks a significant moment in someone's cancer journey. In her case, she’s been cancer-free for ten years. "So maybe this could be like a new tradition — like every ten years I’ll do a 10k." She said.
Lily’s friends tell me how important it is to live life every day to the fullest, just like Lily did. The team says honoring Lily is inspiring, and they will continue to spread her message to help others detect breast cancer sooner.
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