The Impact Ball

On March 7, 2022, cancer stole one of the most important people in my life. My mother passed away from lung cancer. There is not a single day that goes by that I do not think about her. I think about her strength, her smile. I think about the conversations we can no longer have. I think about the milestones she has missed and the moments I wish I could share with her. Losing my mother changed me. Cancer did not just affect my family, it has reshaped my life. As a daughter, I watched someone I loved fight with courage while facing one of life’s most difficult battles. As an educator, I witnessed how illness impacts entire families, communities, and generations. As a Black woman, I became painfully aware of the health disparities that continue to impact women of color at alarming rates. Black women continue to experience significant cancer disparities and often face barriers to awareness, advocacy, and access to care. (Voices of Black Women) Supporting The Impact Ball and Black Girls Fighting Cancer is deeply personal for me. Black Girls Fighting Cancer is deeply rooted and dedicated to access, awareness, and advocacy for women of color navigating cancer journeys. I am honored to support the Impact Ball because it represents something bigger than a fundraiser, it represents hope, education and advocacy. This movement is for every daughter who has held her mother’s hand through treatment. This is for every family that has heard the words, “You have cancer.” and every woman fighting today and every survivor who continues to tell her story. Most importantly, The Impact Ball represents the possibility that no family should have to walk this journey alone. As I prepare to attend the Impact Ball, I am asking my family, friends, colleagues, and community to join me in supporting this mission. Every donation, regardless of the amount, helps create greater awareness, increase access to resources, and amplify advocacy efforts for Black women and girls impacted by cancer. I am raising funds in honor of my mother, Patricia Ann McDonald, my sister. Staci PurPose Kirk, who’s in the fight every day of her life. I’m raising funds for the women currently fighting and for the daughters who still need their mothers. I am raising funds because cancer may have taken my mother’s life, but it will never take away her legacy, her strength lives in me. It’s her love that fuels this work and her memory is the reason I continue to fight. Thank you for supporting me, supporting Black Girls Fighting Cancer, and helping us create a future where more women have access to the care, resources, and advocacy they deserve. With gratitude and love Dr. Tiffany Ja’Nishia McDonald, Ed.D. “Daughters become the dreams their mothers planted.” “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Ps 34:18