Cart for the Cure: Allison’s story

By Scott Anthony Patterson, Marketing Communications Manager

On September 17, 2019 in Blog

Cart for the Cure has touched many lives by raising money to provide free mammograms and biopsies through the St. Luke’s Foundation. The program means a lot to Allison Schach, one of Labconco’s own, because Cart for the Cure provides her another way to battle breast cancer for her mom.

It was an incredible shock for Allison to find out her mom was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive type of cancer. “I was driving home from work and talking to her on the phone. She said they found something in her biopsy, but they didn’t know what it was,” Allison said. “She meant they didn’t know what type of cancer it was. It was like a kick to the gut, it just takes your breath away and your mind kind of goes blank.”

A few days later, the oncology team asked Allison’s mother to an initial consultation. “That was unexpected, so I had to face it probably before I was ready,” Allison said. “I got a notebook at Target on my way to the appointment and proceeded to write down everything they told us in that meeting. She started treatment the next week. It was a whirlwind.”

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Allison supported her mom through two grueling rounds of chemotherapy that lasted six months. She also supported her mom through radiation treatments and their side effects. About two years later, her father was diagnosed with cancer too, and Allison says the experience taught her an appreciation for spending time making memories with her parents. “I learned the importance of not putting off plans – take the vacation while you can.”

Allison says that she believes in Cart for the Cure because access to mammograms and biopsies is so important. “My mom’s tumor was found with a mammogram when it was still very small, so I know how important it is for women to have access to them.” When she thinks of what the pink cart represents, she says, “Pink means surviving, strength. It’s kind of like a sisterhood.” When her mom sees another survivor, she likes to ask them about their own experience.

Here at Labconco, the cart isn’t the only way we support the cause. We kick off each year’s Cart for the Cure promotion with a big event, and Allison plays a huge role in making it a success. She helps to collect donations to fill the pink baskets we raffle off each year, donates items, and helps to sell raffle tickets. She’s served pizza-by-the-slice for donations and solicited special raffle items from local businesses, all to support the cause. And that’s not all. She’s also helps us promote our office “Casual for the Cure” jeans week, and has created dozens of different Cart for the Cure promotional flyers for our dealers. She even helps supervise our prize drawings and assists with our charity drive accounting.

The most important kind of support, Allison says, is the personal kind. The support of friends and loved ones. Two of her friends at Labconco who helped her through the ordeal were breast cancer survivors themselves. “Denise and Wilma were both very open with sharing their experiences with breast cancer and giving me tips to pass on.” You can read Denise and Wilma’s stories here.

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