The Race for the Cure - Fond Of Vonda. "We continue fighting!"

What a wonderful day it was. It was a long day coming. Abby, my sil headed up our team and after a lot of hard work preparing and all of raising funds for the team/the cure, April 24th arrived. I was so thankful that we were able to go after all because AJ was having some respiratory issues the few nights before. Everyone prayed over him and we asked God if it was his will for us to go then we would.
We met at Paul and Abby's house and they had a kick off barbecue for the race with the rest of our team in there lovely backyard. A highlight of the night was when my dad asked Claudia to marry him officially with her diamond. Wow it was beaaauutiiful!
I thought it was so sweet the things he said, since they were already officially married.. he said, "will you continue to grow old with me?"


Pictures in the above collage, borrowed from SIL. =)

Saturday early morning came fast and I was excited. I didn't sleep well because of all the adrenaline. I only had a few tears the night before and the day of. One of the coolest things was a reporter from the Forth Worth Telegram was doing a story on my mom and we met with her in the morning along with our photographer.

My fav quote from the paper of mine that she used and I think speaks volumes to others was when I said, "One of the things I admired most about her is she never complained," Smith said. "She would just say: 'What's the point? Just live your life to the fullest and live for the Lord.'" That's my momma!


Here is the article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram by Susan Mcfarland on April 25, 2010.

Per her mother's orders, Sarah Smith finished the 5K race Saturday.

Smith, 30, of Snyder, said Vonda Boerger told her shortly before she died, "You better finish ... even if you have to crawl across that finish line."

Despite recent back problems, Smith didn't have to crawl. She finished the 5K by walking arm in arm with family and friends across the finish line at the 2010 Susan G. Komen Tarrant County Race for the Cure.

Members of her team, Fond of Vonda, agreed to cross the finish line together.

Some walked. Some ran. But eventually they found one another amid a pink sea of more than 14,000 participants in downtown Fort Worth.

Smith's mother, a Plainview resident and hospice volunteer, was diagnosed with stage-four cancer in 2000. Smith said her mother had mammograms regularly, missing only one, the year before she was diagnosed.

After chemotherapy, radiation and a whole lot of prayer, Boerger remained in remission for seven years, Smith said. But in May 2007, the cancer came back in her bones, eventually spreading to her liver.

"One of the things I admired most about her is she never complained," Smith said. "She would just say: 'What's the point? Just live your life to the fullest and live for the Lord.'"

'We continue fighting'

Boerger "won" her battle Aug. 12, 2009, at age 59. Smith said she likes to refer to the battle as a win because her mother is in heaven and no longer suffers.

Boerger's daughter-in-law, 31-year-old Abby Boerger of Fort Worth, is the team's captain. The first three years, her team walked in honor of Vonda Boerger while she was in remission.
This year, walking in memory of her is much harder, Abby Boerger said.

"By finishing the race together, I hope that is a good, tangible way to close that battle," she said.

She said she is passionate about finding a cure for the disease because she has two daughters, 6 and 3, who she hopes never have to go through what her mother-in-law did.
"She's won. ... Her race is done, but we continue fighting," she said.
'A mean and terrible thing'
The Rev. Gerald Boerger of Hale Center was married to Vonda for 36 years. He said being at the event brings back a lot of memories.

"It's a little emotional, seeing all my kids wearing the shirts," he said. "For us as a family, it's a pretty big deal for all of us."

Gerald Boerger said that as a pastor, he has conducted 467 funerals, most after cancer-related deaths. He said he spent a lot of time counseling people affected by cancer, not realizing that someday he would be on the other side.

"It's one thing to preach a funeral or be at a bedside, but when you are on the reality side of it, it's hard," Gerald Boerger said. "Cancer is a mean and terrible thing. It's taken a lot from me."

Race for the Cure events, held in 120 cities worldwide, draw more than 1.5 million participants. Tarrant County's first Race for the Cure was held in 1993 with 1,800 participants.

Today, the event is dubbed the largest 5K in Tarrant County. Seventy-five percent of the money raised funds treatment and prevention projects for local women.
Fond of Vonda raised more than $1,600. Total contributions this year have been more
than $450,000. Fund raising will remain open through the end of May.

Donate at www.komentarrant.org.


I really enjoyed walking with my "Aunt" Carol the whole time. She was such a blessing to walk with during the 5k. This was my first 5k and I really want to do more of them. I was also so proud to see my brothers run it together! What a cool bounding time for them. When I finished I felt so good and my mom's presence was so strong. I could feel her strength, her smile, her warmth, and her spirit surrounding me at the finish line. It was such a great family time for all and I hope to do this again soon.
The girls got to have a fun time after the race and the rest of us hung out at Paul and Abby's house. I stayed home so I could have some good time with my hubby since I do not get to have alot of time during the week. When Gabe laid down to rest, I got to hang out with my brothers and my dad and precious Madi. I was so thankful for that time of one on one with them. I even enjoyed cleaning the kitchen with my bro, Paul. I probably talked his ear off a little too much but it was like old times when we were little.
Saturday night we all went to Melisa and Jeremy's campground spot and had a great time as siblings with our families hangin' out by the campfire. J & M cooked us a wonderful meal on the grill and the kids even went exploring through the wood with there Uncle Paul. That was the first time we had hung out with out any of our parents around. We even behaved ourselves. The tequila stayed in the car. =)

We were prepared for any medical emergency because AJ ended up needing a breathing treatment after playing hard and I think being around all the trees and tall grass. When AJ has even a little cold it seems it doesn't take much to make his breathing become harder to come by. He was fine and we slept great that night. We had a wonderful morning at P & A's church with even a powerful testimony given that morning.








Borrowed this above picture collage from My sil, Abby.. thanks

2 Photos below credit: Brandon -Star Telegram Paper Photographer








Our family enjoyed at great Sunday afternoon and Paul and Abby's with everyone else. Dena and I got to have a great talk as well on the front porch steps. Life is Good and we are again so blessed! I even did a impromptu photo shoot of her family as well. Madi is not alittle baby anymore for sure!




Our family ( the Smith family) got some fun time later that day at a fun park. Jared was so thrilled to watch a boy hit baseballs as it came out of a automatic ball thrower, and then got to help pick them up.