Susan G. Komen's Honoring The Promise Gala 2015
Last night I attended Susan G. Komen's 2015 Honoring The Promise Gala at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and was presented with the David M. Rubenstein Mission Advancement Award by David Rubinstein himself! He is such an inspiration considering all he has done for the fight against breast cancer and I am so honored that Nancy Brinker and the entire Komen organization chose ME as this years recipient.
I wouldn't wish breast cancer upon anyone - it's a club no one wants to belong to, but going through a life threatening experience changes you. Now I take a step back from every unfortunate situation and try to find a positive outcome. For example, being diagnosed with breast cancer was devastating, but look at where it brought me: I've been given the opportunity to share my story in hopes of helping others; I've launch an online channel called, ALIVE with Joan, to help bring expert advice to women fighting this disease; my new memoir, Had I Known, was released on Tuesday which I hope inspires everyone who reads it, and I am partnering with organizations that are working hard to help change the world, like Susan G. Komen. I'm a strong believer in the "everything happens for a reason" motto and I've certainly found the the silver lining of my diagnosis.
So thank you, Susan G. Komen, for honoring me with this award. I'm going to continue to work hard as a Breast Cancer Survivor Advocate so we can find a cure for this dreadful disease.
And thank you to my two sets of twins, Kate, Max, Jack and Kim for surprising me with an adorable congratulations video that was shown on stage while I received my award. When I saw their faces I couldn't hold back the tears.
Here are some photos from last night's event: