Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Why I walk




Well, I did it again. I walked 60 miles this weekend in Chicago with about 1,600 other people in Susan G. Komen's 2010 Chicago 3-Day Walk for the Cure.

During the closing ceremony on Sunday, some participants were joined on-stage by the people that motivated them to walk. A woman carrying a "For my friend" flag was joined by her friend, a woman who was obviously pregnant and obviously going through chemotherapy. Another woman, perhaps in her 60's, was joined by her daughter who wore a pink survivor's shirt. This moment gave me an opportunity to reflect on my own motivation to walk.

It's actually a question that I am asked often. Those who know me well know that when I signed up for my first 3-day last year I had no real personal connection to the cause. I had not had a grandmother, mother, aunt, sister or friend diagnosed with breast cancer. I have never watched someone fight the disease. And while during this last year I learned that my college roommate, with whom I had basically lost contact, was diagnosed with breast cancer, I cannot say that she is the reason I keep walking.

I walk for those people on Sunday's stage. I walk because I had no personal connection to the cause. I walk because a breast cancer diagnosis of my mother, my sister, my friends would undo me. I walk for those people that have had to endure such a fate (and fight). To quote a t-shirt I saw this weekend, "I walk to support the fighters, to honor the survivors and to remember the taken." I walk for the person who wrote on Chicago's rememberance tent, "Grandma, please take care of Mom in heaven." I walk so that no one else will ever have to utter such a sentiment. I walk to end breast cancer.

The walk is amazing and I'll try to get back to post about what a wonderful time I had doing it with friends (old and new), but I want to dedicate this post to those for whom I walk: anyone diagnosed with or taken by breast cancer and those who love them.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Super Bowl Pool for the Cure Winners!

Board 1:

1st quarter - Stacy Tharp
2nd quarter - Carolyn Nolen
3rd quarter - Bill Igyarto
Final - Pam Frost

Board 2:

1st quarter - Gil Tovar
2nd quarter - Jerey Mortimer
3rd quarter - Della Harris
Final - Teri McCloud

Thank you to all who participated!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Super Bowl Pool for the Cure

OK, so obviously it's been a while since I posted anything. But I came back for a good reason...


Last year two girlfriends and I participated in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. It was an incredible experience - so moving that we got home & signed right up for 2010! We came away so enthusiastic about our experience that we've already doubled our team - Newbies for Boobies (our 2009 team) is now Boobalicious Babes and has 6 members!

Because each walker has to raise at least $2300 to participate in the walk, our team will be doing a number of fundraisers before August. Our first for 2010 was a Super Bowl Pool. Together, we sold 200 squares on 2 boards, raising $4,000. We'll pay out $2,000 to winners and put $2,000 toward our collective $13,800 goal.

So, without further ado, here are the boards:


Board 1

Board 2
 
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