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After receiving hundreds of submissions during the month of February, the Prostate Cancer Foundation was happy to announce the winners of its first annual TRUE Caregivers Contest on Tuesday, March 13th: Wendy Dyer of Jonesport, Maine and Lynsi Plar of Millersburg, Ohio.

Their submissions encapsulated the love, hard work, and the amazing efforts of family members who have taken care of someone with prostate cancer. Both winners will receive a personally curated “caregiver package” from actress Kristen Bell, who championed the contest to honor caregivers’ roles and personally selected the winners.

“It was an honor to work with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to celebrate the role supporters and caregivers play in the treatment and care of prostate cancer patients,” said Bell. “I have personally seen how important a caregiver’s role is throughout a patient’s treatment journey and I can tell you it is truly a labor of love. I encourage you to read some of the submissions including those I chose as winners. They are all beautiful true stories of courage, compassion and love.”

Wendy Dyer talked about an abiding and transcending love between her and her husband Bill before his death:

“What I can say with surety is that it was definitely love at last sight, and not a superficial kind, but a deep, abiding love that took my husband and I through ten and a half years of nonstop prostate cancer treatment. It was a journey that didn’t have a happy ending, but it was our love that took us through until the end.”  You can view her complete story here.

Lynsi Piar shared a touching story about her parents and how their love exemplified resilience and faith throughout the journey:

“I’m writing about my dad who has stage IV prostate cancer, but who has also become the most amazing caregiver for my mother who has suffered a stroke since my dad’s diagnosis, changing my dad from patient to caregiver in a blink of an eye.” View complete story here.

In addition to the winners, an honorable mention was awarded to Warren Starks from Casselberry, Florida who shared how his pregnant daughter – who traveled across multiple states – cared for him during his journey and in particular how she used laughter as a form of medicine to help him recover.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation would like to thank everyone who shared their stories recognizing a caregiver to men with prostate cancer. To read all the stories, and learn more about the TRUE Love Campaign