Debbie Adams

Every day I wake up, and I step out of bed and thank God for giving me the life of my mother, Debbie Gatlin Adams. Some girls group up and never really know their mother. I know my Mother. I laugh with her, and I get to make a difference for breast cancer with her.

I am not your average 21-year old girl; I am a race car driver. As I put my helmet on and get in the car, my Mom bends down, puts her hand on my hand and says, "God bless you, my baby, may you race on the wings of angels." In her eyes I see no fear; I see hope, love, and confidence. I put my car in gear and go out onto the race track. I am not just racing for myself. On my car I have the names of breast cancer survivors from around the nation. We started a program called Survivors' Circle to honor women who have conquered breast cancer.

My Mom had a bad mammogram twenty years ago and went forward with a mastectomy and chemotherapy. When I was 17, it was her second mastectomy that brought breast cancer into my life in a way that was almost blinding. I couldn't imagine this disease changing our life as we had come to know it. It was at this time that I told my Mom that I was ready to dedicate my career to breast cancer research and awareness. She has worked tirelessly alongside me in our fundraising efforts for a disease that almost tooke her life, but not only did she battle back and survive, she is making a difference for breast cancer survivors across the United States.

"Now I have found that those that I set out to help have made me stronger. I am never alone when I race. I take some really brave soldiers with me." - Lindsey Adams