On October 5th, 2008, I participated in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
CIBC Run for the Cure. My mom and my sister Ally came to watch.

Since I have started fundraising for this event back in the summer with my playgrounders and senior leader, I managed to raise $322.70. I started my day with the wall of hope; a few sheets of cloth pulled tight for people to write on. I grabbed the first Sharpie available and wrote on the first space I saw “For Tante Agnes. I miss you. <3 Christiane”. The next step was registration. I went in and picked up my team shirt; I signed up for team Revlon. (Mental note, make my own team next year with a cutesy nickname, I saw some REALLY original teams out there!) Then I set out in desperate search of a piece of paper that everyone seemed to have saying who they were running for. I grabbed a sheet and wrote down, “Agnes Wee” with a big heart beside it. I got my mom to pin my number and the sheet to the back of my shirt. I started getting very emotional quickly, it was quite the environment to be in. I started thinking a lot about my Tante Agnes and how much I miss visiting her in Ottawa during the summer with my Grandmere.

Tante Agnes introduced me to the wonderful worlds of Chocolate Fondue for breakfast, Dim Sum, and of course, the downtown Ottawa marketplace, where you can find some of the most beautiful things, and the most beautiful people. I started remembering what a beautiful woman my Tante Agnes was inside and out, and I started to tear up a lot. As I started the run, (being the blubbering fool I am) I started crying. I tried my best on the run not to stop, but the course had quite a few hills, and on the uphill I got so tired that I had to stop a few times to pace myself. At the halfway point, all us runners came to a set of tables that was matched in height by cases and cases of “compliments natural spring water”. I’ll tell you, I never loved Sobeys more in my life than I did at that exact second. (I’m a front end employee at an Ajax Sobeys) I started walking again and took way too many gulps of water at once. I was coughing for the rest of the run, but I’ll tell you, it was worth it.

I met this one lady on the Run who was running for two of her struggling friends and one survivor. She laughed at me walking on the downhill and said, “Come on, honey! Take advantage of the downhill, walk on the uphills”. When she asked me who I was running for and I told her, I was surprised at how well I held my composure. When I told her that my Tante Agnes had lost her battle to breast cancer, the lady said, “God bless her”. I almost started crying again, but I managed to keep it together.

In the last kilometre, I really pumped it up. As soon as I saw the park coming into view again, I broke out of my light jog into a run. I saw the arch of balloons marking the finish line, and as I got closer, I saw Ally on the side of the road, and she never looked happier to see me. Closer to the line, I saw my mom with the biggest smile on her face, and the most tears in her eyes that I’ve ever seen. I waved to her and ran over to the finish line. The people surrounding were cheering so loudly and were sending out endless praises of congratulations, and with that I started crying again.

As I passed the finish line, there were volunteers handing out pink carnations and I felt so supported and uplifted. I ran to find my mom and when I did, I gave her a great big hug. She kept telling me over and over how proud of me she was. All I could think about was how I should have done this years ago. In all my life, I had never been more proud to have Pothier roots. Or to feel a lot like how I imagine legs made of jell-o would feel.

I will be participating in this Run for years to come, and every year, I’ll run in memory of Tante Agnes. I just know she was there every step of the way. She was running alongside me, putting oxygen in my lungs and spirit in my bones. Thank you to everyone who supported me and believed in me. You have helped me become such a better and stronger young woman. Hopefully next year I can get a team together and we can all run for someone we’ve lost or someone struggling.

In loving memory of Agnes Wee Pothier.
Your family; Pothier, Wee, Martell, and Devost descendants alike
miss you very much and will never forget you.

Christiane Martell