TOLEDO, Ohio — Breast cancer is a difficult fight that takes lives, but there is one thing it cannot do: break down the love between a mother and a daughter.
When breast cancer enters the relationship, that bond is made even stronger.
That idea is exemplified by the Susan G. Komen Northwest Ohio Race for the Cure 2023, which is in celebration of Linda Palenske, who, along with her daughter, is celebrating 10 years of being cancer-free.
"It was scary to go through it, yes, but I had to be brave for her," Linda said.
Her daughter, Chrisitina, described her mother's strength during the hardship.
"She's like my hero in the sense of when she was diagnosed with cancer she never said, 'Why me?' She never said that. She was just like, 'Okay, what's the next step? Let's go,'" she said.
Christina was young, just starting out as an adult in those carefree years when Linda discovered her cancer.
"Really, at 21, I had to go from being her daughter to being her caregiver," Christina said. "That put a lot of pressure on me."
Their relationship evolved from mother taking care of daughter to daughter taking care of mother.
Every mother can relate to how Linda felt about the situation. She feared death, but her drive to beat the cancer was rooted in her desire to continue being a mother to Christina.
"It was like, 'Am I going to be here to take care of her?'" Linda said. "I just didn't want to abandon her."
Their bond is cemented in how Linda became Christina's mom. She adopted Christina when she was five years old.
"That's why when she was diagnosed, I lost my mind," said Christina. "I was just like, 'Here's a woman who took me in when she didn't have to. Now she has cancer. What am I going to do?'"
Linda chose to get a double mastectomy and never had to go through chemotherapy. She was immediately cancer-free after the surgery.
The mother and daughter celebrated the day they call 'survival day' on Jan. 15, 2013, with matching tattoos. And they continue marking Linda's survival every year at the Susan G. Komen Northwest Ohio Race for the Cure.
For the 2023 race, Christina wanted everyone to walk the race in celebration of her mom, the fighter.
"She deserved it," Christina said. "This is something special for her and I wanted to let her know, 'Hey you're my champion. You're my hero.'"
The recognition caught Linda off guard.
"It was amazing," Linda said. "She surprised me when she did this. She didn't tell me what was going on. She's like, 'I got a surprise for you.' 'I was like, 'What did you do?' It's like, I had no idea."
Linda wants other survivors to know there's hope in the journey.
"Just keep fighting because it is worth it, you know? she said. "You've got a lot of family and friends that's counting on you. You're going to make it. You're going to be okay."