Sheri Shapiro: Thoughts on Beca

I have been thinking about writing something since Rick mentioned it to me a week or so ago, and my only conclusion is there is no way to narrow this down to a single story or tale about my Becs. So I guess I just need to say how she impacted my life from the first time I met her (which was long before she and Kyle dated).

I was drawn to her exotic flare. I loved to listen to her voice and giggled with her about some of her translations. She was never offended because she knew how much we enjoyed her figuring out the language and that we admired how she had conquered something so difficult at a difficult time in her life. I should have known right then and there what Becs was all about. She had a fight in her and a determination that I have yet to see in another person I have ever known. Whether it was to learn English after a rough move from her native home, or the determination to get into a college she wanted and to make it affordable. And until the unfathomed fight of her life to fight for her life, she did it with such grace and strength that I lean upon that every day of my life still. Whenever I feel frustrated, or scared, or crabby, or exhausted, my eyes are drawn to the sky and we talk. I feel her presence every day. When something scary is prevented, I know she has held my hand through it…she guides me still and will guide me always to keep my priorities straight, appreciate each and every day and loved one. Her impact on me is like no other I have experienced and I am so grateful for the opportunity to love on this amazing girl. I knew this would be tough to put in just a few words, but I can say that my sweet angel lived every single day with the ‘cup half full’!

Sheri Shapiro is the wife of Board Vice President Rick Shapiro, and the mother of Board members Ryan and Caitlin Shapiro. Her continued passion, support, and commitment to Blackout Melanoma is unparalleled.  We couldn’t continue our mission without her.