Dedication

This year I am honored to dedicate my walk to the Memory of Carol Lynn Marchbanks. This remarkable woman and her fight represent every reason that I am walking.
Carol was a pioneer of sorts in her day. As a single Mom in a small town in South Georgia she carved out a very successful career in public relations and advertising. She even continued this path after she married and had her second son. In fact she attained the status of partner in a public relations firm which in her day was unheard of. As time moved on, she found herself single again and in a different small rural Georgia town. Here she became the first ever female President of the local Chamber of Commerce. Facing the attitude that “Women got no place in politics”, “I know she had to sleep with someone to get that job”, and other misguided sentiments of the day, Carol patiently won the community over with her calm smiles, optimistic attitude, and success. Carol did what a good Chamber President must do and brought business into this small rural area and even expanded her influence into National Chamber events. After succeeding in public relations and as the Chamber President, Carol (now remarried) made a drastic career field change and began working as one of the few females in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. This is just another instance of her pioneering nature.
Carol was an artist, poet, and musician. She taught her children the value of the fine arts and instilled into them a love of music, poetry, and art. So strong was the connection with her children that she would call them at night to point out a PBS show that she thought would be interesting to them. Nine times out of ten, they were already watching the show.
Carol was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and faced the treatment regime at the time. A mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and all of the radical treatments of the day. She fought for five years. Unfortunately Carol fell into the category of the patient where they were able to cure the cancer but the cure killed the patient. This is why we walk. We have made a difference by raising money for outreach, education, and research. Would Carol face a different process if diagnosed today? Absolutely! The advances that have been made just might have made the difference. Would the outcome be different? I regret to say that I do not know. I only know that her path would not have been so hard and her chances better.
I never had the pleasure of meeting this remarkable woman. I only know her through her son. If the quality of a person is the legacy they leave behind in their children, I can honestly state that Carol was one of the finest people to ever walk the face of the Earth. In difficult circumstances she raised children who are the epitome of kind caring human beings. She is very proud of her offspring.
To Carol Lynn Marchbanks – This one’s for you! Thanks for the inspiration.