If you saw Rose Orgeron walking or biking around the west bank of St. Charles Parish last month, just know that she was doing it for a good cause.
The Bayou Gauche native and resident said her goal of walking or biking at least 62 miles in August was spurred by her desire to do something in honor of her late mother, Rosemae Landry.
Landry was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 47 years old. She died in 1999 at the age of 52. Orgeron said that in the past she and her family have participated in Relay for Life in honor of her mother, and when she saw the American Cancer Society’s 62-mile challenge for the month of August she knew she wanted to do it to not only honor her mother’s memory but to also do something to improve her own health.
“I loved every minute of it,” Orgeron said. “I probably walked about half and biked half. I had to do what I could with all of the rain. I finished on August 30.”
Orgeron said she thought of her mom daily throughout the process.
“It made me feel good … as I walked or rode I’d think of memories of us and what kind of person she was. We lost her at a young age,” Orgeron said. “I listened to her favorite music. I had my Pandora on the 50s and 60s.”
Orgeron said that the fact she was exercising every day in honor of her mother motivated her to not give up.
“When I got off of work that’s the first thing I did,” she said of logging her daily miles. “I enjoyed it so much. I will continue each month to find something else to walk and ride for. If you can put your mind to it, you can do it.”
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