Hi Team Tiara
My name is Chris Roggeman and this is my third year to walk. I am married to Rory and we have 2 daughters, Karley (19) and Amanda (16). We are from Sandusky, Ohio-most often known as the city in the movie Tommy Boy! My younger sister was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at age 36. She went through chemo (that awful red devil) and radiation. The company I work for asked me to move to Houston and I said no..no career is worth leaving my sister, Julie. She fought the disease but was also battling anorexia….so 2 big battles….again, the company asked about California?? I said no again. Julie fought for 4 years and one month after turning 40 she lost the battle and left a son 14 and a daughter 12. The company asked about Houston again and we moved here 5 years ago. Julie has been gone 7 years and I miss her every day. I no longer complain about a bad hair day and feel lucky that I can walk from parking spaces far away, even when my husband asks why I have to park so far away.. Julie could not walk at the end of this battle…We moved to Cypress and live in Fairfield and I took my daughter to the pediatrician for the preventative vaccine for cervical cancer and while sitting in the waiting room, I met Suzi Bruin….enough said! She told me about the Walk and I signed up the next day! I was fortunate to have our oldest, Karley come to Dallas and last year, Rory and Amanda came and this year my brother from Ohio will be there. I am truly blessed. I went through BRAC analysis and it came back negative!
I have worked for an oil and gas company for 25 years (started when I was 5) and am very lucky to see parts of the world I never thought I would see, but at the end of the day, the job does not define who I am……I am Chris, blessed to have had a sister, Julie and to have my family, Rory, Karley and Amanda. One of the hardest part of moving was leaving friends on Ohio, but now I have team tiara friends!
See you in Dallas!