My name is Erin Cole.  I live in Muskogee, Oklahoma.  I love reading, writing, and baking.

My relationship with the American Cancer Society started in the fall 2009.    I joined Relay For Life after a friend invited me.  People relay for different reasons and mine was simple at the time.  I enjoyed the experience of being a part of something that help patients navigate through their cancer journeys.  I learned that ACS offers patient programs such as Road to Recovery to help transport patients to treatment.  ACS offers wigs when patients lose their hair.  I continued to participate in Relay as a member of our Event Leadership Team.

Nothing prepared me when my grandfather told me, “I have cancer.”  I became his caregiver after his lung cancer diagnosis in early 2015.  By July, I was mourning the loss of the man who helped shaped me.  Through the sadness my reason for relaying shifted.  It was not just about helping patients, but now motivated to finding a cure.  Spreading the importance of joining programs like ACS CAN (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network), encouraging people to understand the importance of research, and preaching about early detection became a part of who I am.  Being a caregiver gave me firsthand insight to how difficult navigation care for patients can be.   I am determined to finish the fight against cancer.

Then, one day I woke up on a completely different side of cancer.  I was diagnosed with Stage 3 uterine cancer  in October 2019.  Shortly after diagnosis I underwent surgery.  Due to metastasizing, I went through chemotherapy and radiation.  I just celebrated my third year of remission.  My mom, brother & sister became by main caregivers.  My family, along with my RFL family and the team at ACS, were my light during that darkness.