b'SURVIVOR SPOTLIGHTMARILYN FULLER-SMITHCUMBERLAND COUNTYMarilyn Fuller-Smith, a 2024 Pink Ribbon Awardeeand PBCCHighmarkWalkChair,turnedherpassionfor walking into a movement. Through her infectious spirit, compassion, and determination, she has helped to raise thousandsofdollarsfortheCoalitionandotherbreast cancer nonprofits. Marilyn is a fighter and a force!My diagnosisMarilyn, seen here in her beloved pink Mini cooper, walks every day with I remember it vividly. I was 54 years old, and I was havingmembers of her walking "squad." The group racks up miles each week just a regular exam. It was back when your family doctortogether, talking, laughing and encouraging each other along the way.did more than they do now. He was doing a breast exam andhesaid,"whenisyournextmammogram?,"andI said "a couple weeks," and he said, "Oh, ok." He wentWhy I walkout of the room, came back and said, "Marilyn, I set up aWhenIstartedwalkingseriously,Idedicatedthatfirst mammogram for you for this afternoon." walk to my two grandchildren - a boy and a girl. That was in 2011. My grandson is now 31 and my granddaughter It was something that just happened. It was January needtobewill be 30 shortly and then another 14, and by February 10, everything wasblessinghappenedinourfamily removed. And then, I had to haveandIhaveanothergranddaughter radiationandtheytoldmeIwaswho is now 5. How could I not keep going to be tired. I thought, "notwalking?There are so many people me. I mean - don\'t be silly. I havewho need to be aware. There are so things to do," and by the secondHow can I not keep walking? many people who need to know that week,IwassotiredIcouldn\'tthere\'s help out there.move, and I was so blessed to be working for the Commonwealth ofTheresomanypeoplewhoIlovebeinginvolvedwithagroup Pennsylvania. They told me to takeaware. There are so many people who needofpeoplewhoallhavethesame all the time I needed. I would gomission. When I walk in the Highmark toworkinthemorning.I\'dhaveto know that there\'s help out there.Walk for the PBCC, I think of all the radiation at noon and then I wouldwomen I\'ve known, and if you look go home and sleep. at my headpiece that I wear to walk, there are names on all of the ribbons. Those are people I was 54. My sister Kathryn had already had breast cancerwhohavediedfrombreastcancer,thosearefriends in her early 50s, and there are four of us sisters. Two yearsof mine who have breast cancer. I walk for all of these ago, at 68, my baby sister was diagnosed with breast cancerwomen. I carry them with me in my heart and on my head.and a much more aggressive cancer than what I had, and I was angry because I thought to myself selfishly, "this can\'tOn being a Pink Ribbon Awardeehappen to her! Not after all the work that I do." And thenI know that what I do is important, but I\'m not a scientist. I laughed at myself and said, "that\'s ridiculous. That\'s whyI\'m not a doctor. I\'m not a legislator. I\'m humble me. To you do this work. That\'s why she had her mammogram.receive this award for something that I just do that comes That\'s why she\'s gonna be taken care of." so naturally to me is one of the greatest honors of my life.Connie\'s'