In 2003 Valerie Crisci was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at just 35 years old. Although this initial diagnosis came as a shock to Valerie and her family, her prognosis was fairly good at this early stage. Valerie had two surgeries and went through six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. 5 years after the treatments, the doctors told her she had a 90% chance that the cancer was cured. However, Val always lived with a fear in the back of her mind that the cancer might come back, despite the fact that she always lived a healthy and active lifestyle.   

      In December of 2010, 7 years after her original diagnosis, the unthinkable happened. For a few months Val was having persistent back pain. She was seen in the emergency room where it was unfortunately found that the cancer returned to her bones and had become incurable. She was told her prognosis could now be as short as two years. Despite such a dire diagnosis Val continued to fight. For over 6 years she beat the odds, taking over 6 oral cancer medications, numerous IV treatments, countless rounds of radiation and hospitalizations to try and keep the cancer at bay.           

     Those 6 years were filled with times of good news when the cancer would respond and shrink. Val lived most of her days like she wasn’t on limited time, even though she knew the reality of her diagnosis. Despite Val’s strength and resilience, the cancer inevitably stopped responding to the treatments like it had been. Even when the treatments stopped working, Val continued to live her life to the fullest with her family at the forefront of her concern. She was more worried about leaving her family behind than being sick.           

     Val lost her battle to cancer on March 27, 2017 exactly 1 month prior to her 50th birthday. Val was so strong that even with “innumerable” tumors in her liver, she went on a 5-mile hike at Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, just 19 days before she passed.           

     Val’s legacy will live on forever. Her beautiful personally, strength, and resilience will never be forgotten. This foundation was formed to raise money for families that are going through similar situations. Please donate in Val's memory to help families with the fight against breast cancer and the financial difficulties that come with it. As Val would say, live every day to its fullest and stay close to your family and friends. God bless you all!   

-The Crisci Family