TOLEDO, Ohio — "Cancer can be a very dark place to be and the Victory Center is such a ray of hope," Beth Wagoner said.
She and Julie Croy are two of eight members of the "3Gen Warriors" team, raising money for the Victory Center.
The family friends also have something else in common. They both have breast cancer.
Wagoner's journey started 25 years ago when she had prophylactic mastectomies when cancer, which runs in her family, was first detected.
"Twenty-five years later, cancer came back and I had breast cancer last year," Wagoner said.
Croy, on the other hand, had no family history. So she was surprised when she felt a lump just months after having a normal mammogram.
"Went to the doctor and got the MRI, mammogram, all the testing and I have very aggressive triple negative breast cancer," Croy said.
The women are hoping cancer stops with them. Their kids and Wagoner's grandkids make up the rest of the "3Gen Warriors" team, which so far has raised more than $30,000 for services Wagoner and Croy have used at the Victory Center.
"I'm there, probably three times a month, faithfully," Croy said.
At locations in both Toledo and Perrysburg, cancer survivors take part, for free, in massage, reflexology, one-on-one counseling and art therapy, just to name a few programs. There's also a wig bank to help patients look and feel a little more like themselves.
"It's so comforting to be there. It's like a family. Everyone supports everyone else. There's no judgment. Come as you are and if you're not feeling good, someone will talk to you and make you feel better," Wagoner said.
Wagoner is hopeful she is now in remission and after months of chemo. Croy is now going through radiation treatment.
Going over the edge is hardly a feat to conquer when you think about what they've been through, but there may be some nerves.
"I'm excited. Some people are a little more nervous than others, but in the big picture it's for a good cause and I consider it another adventure in life," Wagoner said.
"I'm sure I'll feel really amazing," Croy said. "I'm sure it'll be exhilarating."
You can still donate to the 3Gen Warriors and other teams rappeling, Friday Sept. 8.
You can also lend your support in person. Cheer them on in Levis Square in downtown Toledo at the corner of Madison and North St. Clair Street. The event is going on all day.
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