Day 1...Taking the Challenge

Well...I know I've made you wait a few days but now you can rest easy :) Pictures were delivered to my computer and slide shows have been created. However...we have so many fantastic photos that I have made small slide shows for each day of the walk! You've just seen Day 1's slide show!


The 3Day Breast Cancer Walk 2009...amazing, emotional, hard, exhausting, painful, energizing, lovely, phenomenal, funny, exciting, boobalicious (had to add that!), fantastic, tough, tiring, overwhelming, friends, laughs, joy, tears, sweat, blisters, bandaids, biofreeze, body glide, stretching, stretching and more stretching, inflammation, swelling, huge smiles, "Thank you", "no, Thank you", Simply the Breast (hee hee), foot massage, carbs, pink tents, just one more mile, awesome, beautiful, encouraging, inspirational...


It's all that and more. Even after a 2nd year for myself at this walk, I am still easily overcome with tears as I think of the lady who, as we walked by her, took off her head scarf and with tears in her eyes, thanked us...all 3,000 of us. I am still easily overcome with smiles as I think of the joy we had each afternoon when we walked those last few steps into camp and there was mom, waiting with a huge smile of her own and hugs for each of us. I am still easily overcome with sadness as I remember the man who walked with the "I'm honoring my mother" flag out of opening ceremony with tears streaming down his face because he misses her so much. I am still easily overcome with inspiration as I remember the man walking with this on his back "Walking for my wife, still in the fight". I am still easily overcome with both tears and smiles as I think of the survivors, hoisting up the flag at the end of the walk, letting us know that we are not only One Day Closer to a Cure but that we are walking for a purpose that is so much larger than each of us...A World without Breast Cancer.



I know a few people who don't particularly care for events like this that only focus on one type of cancer or cause and that's ok. If you haven't been affected by it, I understand that. But being at an event like this, contributing just a tiny part to the overall picture, seeing first-hand that we are all truly kind deep down, that we do care for others, regardless of the disease represented by the event, is worth the fight. It's worth the time. It's worth the training. It's worth the pain. It's worth waking up at 3:30am for. It's worth the walk. Because no matter what cancer or cause you focus on, it's all our enemy. It all affects everyone...male, female, child, adult, black, white...no matter what.


So my challenge for you: do something. Stand up and walk, work or pray for whatever cause is close to your heart. If it's American Cancer Society, do Relay For Life , if it's Prostate cancer...join up with Movember, if you're into triathalons look up Tri for a Cure in your area, if it's Alzheimers...Alzheimer's Memory Walk, maybe it's ALS, you can check out Walk to Defeat ALS...you get the idea. If it's Breast Cancer, join us next year in the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer 3Day. Donate just a few dollars towards a cure or volunteer a bit of time to work at an event rather than walk or run, cheer on those who are able to walk...just do something. Show the world that we really do care.