Mother continues daughter's fight to raise breast cancer awareness
Funding for triple-negative breast cancer has been a major focus for Lexington resident Cindy Praska, whose daughter Whitney was diagnosed with the disease in 2007 at age 24. After undergoing a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation at another hospital, Whitney was deemed cancer-free.
“It’s an honor to be supporting Markey, who we called family and home the last year of her life.”
– Cindy Praska, Whitney’s mother
In the years following her diagnosis, Whitney became an advocate for breast cancer awareness and fundraising, becoming actively involved in the Frankfort Country Club’s Rally for the Cure, which has raised money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the UK Markey Cancer Center for nearly 20 years.
Although her initial treatment for triple-negative breast cancer was successful, Whitney then developed osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in 2012. Despite Whitney’s and her doctors’ best efforts, her cancer metastasized and she succumbed to the disease in November of that year.
Carrying the torch to a better future
Carrying the torch for her daughter, Cindy continues to push for education, awareness and research toward triple-negative breast cancer and is still heavily involved in fundraising. Her efforts included a special fundraising gala in October 2016 that featured a silent and live auction, with all proceeds directly benefiting the Markey research team’s proposed triple-negative breast cancer clinical trial.
“Whitney helped bring awareness to this disease, and it is so rewarding to me that work is progressing so that more young women her age will live to marry, have a family, and be able to see their young children grow up,” Cindy said. “It has given me a purpose to be an advocate for these causes and it’s an honor to be supporting Markey, who we called family and home the last year of her life.”
