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Mommy & Me Cancer Foundation Set For 3rd Annual 5K Run Saturday

BREA (CBSLA.com)   —  Battling cancer for anyone can be difficult enough but can be especially hard on mothers of young children.

Helping those mothers is the inspiration behind the Mommy and Me Cancer Foundation.

KCAL9's Rachel Kim reports the group if ready for Saturday's 5K run/walk at Angels Stadium in Anaheim.

The race raises money and awareness. Started in 2013 as a grassroots effort the group helps young moms who are battling life-threatening cancer,

Their mission is to also provide financial assistance, group support and educational resources to the children.

"It was difficult, I had no energy, my whole was turned, flipped upside down," says Krista Draper.

Draper was only 29 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Her son Ethan was barely 2.

Suddenly, Krista couldn't be the mom she wanted to be.

"I could barely withstand the chemo. I was nauseated, I had headaches. I couldn't pick him up, I couldn't run," she sayd.

Five years later, Draper is still fighting.

But the fight has been made easier since she was introduced to the Mommy and Me Cancer Foundation.

"We kind of look at it like the other victims of cancer. So it's not just the patient now, it's the family unit that's affected," says Jennifer Boyd, MAMCF co-founder.

Boyd and fellow co-founder Sean O'Neil have lost several family members and friends to cancer, so they wanted to do something to address the needs of these families.

"I think of the first mom, her name was Desiree David. She was a friend from college. She was our first mom. She's no longer with us," says Boyd.

Desiree David courageously fought stage 4 breast cancer. She passed away and left her little daughter Chloe behind. But her legacy continues to motivate and inspire the Mommy and Me Cancer Foundation.

"A lot of the times when the moms find there's another 20-30-40 year old who's going through a similar situation, it's almost healing," says Boyd.

"It makes me feel like I don't have to carry all the weight, that they are there for me and my child," says Draper. "I don't know what I would've done without them."

For more about the group and the run/walk, click here.

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