May 8, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

‘Race for the Cure’ Sunday
by DANIELLE GIBSON

Lisa Niedrowski, of Blue Bell, walked down the steps during the breast cancer survivors’ parade at last year’s Race for the Cure with her daughter, Avery, on her shoulders. Lisa will be taking part again this Sunday, Mother’s Day, with thousands of other survivors.

Many of the 120,000 spectators at last year’s Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure® recall seeing one survivor by the name of Lisa Niedrowski, who paraded down the steps during the breast cancer survivors’ parade with her daughter on her shoulders.

A few weeks earlier, her daughter had been looking at the “pretty colors” of lymphadema compression sleeves in a pamphlet Lisa had in the house. Without a second thought, the 5-year-old looked and her mom and said, “When I get breast cancer, I’m going to get the blue one.”

This is one reason Lisa, an employee of GlaxoSmithKline in Blue Bell, is so steadfast in her devotion to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer cure.

“My children walk down the steps with me because they are survivors, too, even at this young age. I want them to see they are not alone, and that they have a responsibility to continue the fight,” said Niedrowski. “There are so many emotions at that moment, a sense of accomplishment for those who survive, sadness for those who haven’t and a realization that there is still a lot of work to be done.”

When Lisa Niedrowski was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, she was barely 29, a mother, and still nursing her second baby. From day one, she chose not to dwell on the hardships, but instead to celebrate her survivorship. For the past several years, Lisa has celebrated Mother’s Day and the Race for the Cure with her young children. The procession is the highlight of Race day for over 120,000 spectators. It is also one of the most important times of the year for Lisa.

In addition to celebrating survivorship, Lisa exhibits a hope that is embodied in her career at a pharmaceutical company. She agrees that seeing, on a daily basis, the efforts being made to find stronger ways to combat the pain of breast cancer is an important part of their inspiration in the breast cancer journey.

“At work, I see the research and the hope … and then I see a dear friend dying from the disease,” said Niedrowski. “People have to know that even though the survival rates have improved, the fight is far from over. We have to make a stand. That is what the Race for the Cure is all about.”