#WhyI529 October Spotlight:
Future looks bright for breast cancer survivor's family

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re featuring survivor Tracy Russell, from Overland Park, Kan. Tracy has kicked breast cancer twice and she’s looking forward to starting a new chapter in her life. Here, Tracy shares why planning for her family’s future is important.

Why are you passionate about the future?

Life has been full of ups and downs through my breast cancer diagnosis, surgeries and treatments. It’s scary and difficult when you are so sick to think of the future, so I simply took it one day at a time. Sometimes that’s all you can do. But I’m here, stronger than ever and determined to give my boys the best future possible.

My husband, Mike, and I believe that education is the key to a better life. A college degree unlocks opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be available. In my family, you were expected to get a college degree … it wasn’t an option not to attend. I guess we’re raising our boys the same way. Learning Quest helps us support them and take away the pressure of a mountain of student loan debt.

When did you start saving?

We opened college savings accounts for each of our boys, Jake and Luke, when they were born. We also gave our parents and extended family a heads-up about the accounts, so they could help our savings grow. A gift toward higher education is so much more valuable than a toy that kids quickly toss aside.

How does it make a difference?

There aren’t a lot of options for middle-class families to save for higher education. Learning Quest provides us with a valuable tool to save easily. Plus, we don’t even miss the money we’re putting away long-term because it’s done in smaller amounts over time.

Look at our society today and the amount of money we spend on momentary experiences, like our child’s sports teams. It’s easy for our perspective to become skewed. We try to keep the big picture in mind – investing in a college education will benefit our children for the rest of their lives!