2009 Boston Breast Cancer 3-Day Recap

Finally!
To be honest, I can't take any credit for this recap - my mom wrote it and I changed a few minor things. What can I say? She's a teacher and has more time on her hands right now! Plus, she has more of a way with words than I do. This is the letter we sent to our donors to give them a glimpse into what they helped us do:

Dear Friends and Family,

Earlier this year I asked for and received your support to participate in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. The big event was a few weeks ago and it was an incredible, life-changing, 60-mile journey and I have so many wonderful memories!

It all began on a rainy Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. We braved the rain and the mud with excitement and smiles. Fortunately, the sun came out by the time we got to camp and we were able to set up our tent and get acclimated to our surroundings under sunny skies. Day 2 we were awakened by excited campers at 5:15 a.m. and got ready for what we were told would be the hardest day of the three days, which it was. We walked 22 miles. One of my teammates and I were walking with blisters we developed in the rain on Day 1. Thank goodness for the first aid tents! On Day 3 we were raring to go--we walked with enthusiasm as we anticipated completing our journey. It ended with a celebratory closing ceremony at the University of Massachusetts where our families were there to greet us.

Over the weekend I met a lot people. There were approximately 2,000 walkers who were there for a variety of reasons—some were survivors, some were walking in honor of loved ones who survived and some who didn’t. A man spoke about being a breast cancer survivor, and we were all touched by a group of young volunteers (ages 10-15) who spoke about how they had been affected by breast cancer already in their lives; 2 who had lost their mothers when they were very young. What had the biggest impact on me was meeting two survivors who were in their late twenties, barely older than me! Meeting them reminded me that this disease is not discriminatory—anyone can be afflicted. While great strides have been made in early detection, we still need to fight for a cure so that no one else ever has to go through the pain of dealing with breast cancer. My team and I plan to walk again next year.

Because of your generosity I personally raised just over $3,000 and the entire Boston 3-Day event raised $4 million for breast cancer research. My team, consisting of my mother, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law were recognized as a “power team” - finishing 10^th - for raising the most per team member.

Thanks again for your support— it means more than you will ever know!


Here are just a handful of pictures from the weekend:

Mom and me by our tent

me, my mom, my sister-in-law, and my mother-in-law after finishing Day 2

the Remembrance Tent which is filled with pictures and notes to loved ones who were lost to breast cancer - SO emotional

we did it!!

the survivor's circle at the closing ceremony

It really was one of the best experiences of my life. Words can't even describe how it felt to be surrounded by people all fighting for the same cause. I can not wait to do it again next year!