Three Days and Sixty Miles

According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes. Every 13 minutes, this disease claims another life. That’s why I’m walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer.

I walked in the Atlanta Breast Cancer 3-Day in 2001. I went there with no expectations, and came away with an abundance of memories. Some of them include:

• The survivor who stood by her car, holding a sign that said, “Thank You,” and told us that she had finished chemotherapy one month ago

• The group of women behind me, after talking to that woman, telling their own stories of their hair growing back in

• The man and his dog, on the sidewalk, holding a sign that said, “My wife is my hero,” waiting for her to walk by

• The men who walked, and the one who wore a survivor shirt as a breast cancer survivor

• The survivor who had lost a leg to cancer, walking every step of the sixty miles on her prosthesis

• The survivor who came with her husband, who was part of the tent crew

• The survivor who came with her group of supportive friends; they walked, and she worked on the food crew, because she was still weak from her chemotherapy treatments

This year I have my own story. Part of this experience is to raise money to fund research, treatment, prevention, and education. As part of my fund-raiser, I sent out letters to people in my address book, some of whom I had not contacted in many years. One such person was an old friend, Emily. We were friends over twenty years ago, when our sons were toddlers. I had neglected our friendship, and wondered what her response might be. This is in part what I received:

I know I won’t be able to find the words to express my gratitude to you for choosing this particular cause. So, I’ll just do the best I can being overwhelmed with emotion. You see, tomorrow will mark four weeks since I had bilateral mastectomies. So, with all that said, I feel like you are making this walk for ME!

So, this year I will be walking for Emily, and all the Emilys out there who must fight this disease. I will walk for their families who fight this disease with them. And after three days and sixty miles, the fight against breast cancer will benefit from the monies and awareness that will be raised. The fight against breast cancer will be advanced, lives will be saved, and families will remain intact . And in the end, I will get the best gift, because I will get to experience celebrations of life from those who truly realize what life is all about.