Team Of The Week: Team Big Apple

Teams are the heart and soul of the Komen NYC Race for the Cure®. They contribute to the event's spirit and sense of community and raise large amounts of pledge dollars.

Team Big Apple will be walking its first Race this year. Founder and captain Regina Dimayacyac was diagnosed with breast cancer in February.

"The advancements in breast cancer research helped me through my ordeal from bilateral mastectomy to chemotherapy, which I recently finished," she said. "Now that my prognosis is excellent, I would like to help further this research, possibly sparing other women from a terrible and life-changing hardship."

Regina's diagnosis greatly affected her family. "There were moments when we were confused and scared," she explained. "But thanks to our strong faith in the Lord and our great sense of humor, we were able to get through the ordeal with grace and dignity."

The diagnosis also affected Regina at work. Her superiors and co-workers picked up the slack, adjusting their duties and responsibilities to accommodate her absences during treatment.

Right now, Team Big Apple has eight team members besides Regina. Most are family members who cared for and supported her during her treatment:

• Her husband Sonny — "My rock throughout my illness."
• Her mother and primary caregiver Josefina — "She kept me company at the hospital… and was my chemo partner."
• Her father Romeo — "My mom's partner in caregiving;" always available to fill in when Sonny was unavailable.
• Her sister Maria — Entertainer and weekend caregiver. "She would come to Peekskill every weekend from Jersey City…" giving Sonny and her parents a break.
• Her brother Jose — Also a weekend caregiver, he shaved his head when Regina started losing hair and shaved hers.
• Her aunt Tani and husband Mike — Planning a visit from New Zealand on September 12, they joined the team as soon as they heard about the Race.
• Other team members include her close friend Marico (who has several friends that have been diagnosed with breast cancer) and John, a family friend who is a close friend of her sister.

Regina will be recruiting new team members via regular e-mails and phone calls. The team is raising money by making it personal — recounting the story of Regina's successful fight against breast cancer.

Right now, Regina is focused on fundraising and the "thrill of looking to see how much or who makes a donation each day." So far, the team has raised $1,925 of its $5,000 goal.

She can't wait for September 13th when the team hopes to "make great memories."

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