I'm walking in honor of my mother, Rosemary Monaco, who is a breast cancer survivor and is currently undergoing treatment for squamous cell carcinoma, as well as my grandmother Josephine, my mother-in-law Sandy, my Aunt Agnes, my Uncle Bob and my Uncle Walter, who are all either currently in treatment or are cancer survivors.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself, requiring a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery over the past two years. I am extraordinarily lucky to not have needed chemotherapy, and I am cancer-free. As a doctor, being a patient has been truly eye-opening, and I will never forget how much I had to hand over control to my care team, who took such good care of me.
I'm a true optimist, which is probably why I think I can fit so much into my life. I'm a Neonatologist, a baby doctor in the NICU at Albany Med, and the Division Chief of the NICU. I'm a local through and through, and my husband Trevor and I are raising our four kids, Josie (15), Ramona (12), Freddy (8) and Harrison (6), back in my hometown of Niskayuna, NY. I live for my Tuesday trivia nights, and our crazy house of six people, two cats and a bunch of fish will hopefully add a new puppy soon.
I usually fundraise for NICU-related causes, but I couldn't say no to such a personal cause and a cool event. I thought I didn't have time for cancer, but with lots of support at work and at home, I'm so blessed to have been given the time to heal.
Oh, and I dressed up as a giraffe for my college graduation, so you already know I don't take myself too seriously.
Thank you for supporting my campaign and standing with my family and every family facing this disease.
