Breast Cancer 3-Day

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to walk in the Breast Cancer 3-Day 60 mile walk benefiting Susan G Komen for the Cure. I decided to walk with Fran this year as Team Mama Stewart as her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. The idea of raising $2,300 was very daunting! Fran and I spent a weekend making breast cancer ribbon cookies and selling them to anyone that would buy them! Then 2 special ladies named Blair Cumming and Jen Lepchenske offered to host a party to help us raise the money. We had overwhelming support that evening at The Red Door Tavern and Fran and I were both able to meet our fundraising goals!!!!

I made the booby cookies for the fundraiser

Thursday night Allan took Fran and me out for a pasta dinner to carb up for our big first day that next morning. We woke up at 5 AM and Allan drove us out to Lake Lanier. It was a chilly and rainy morning but the atmosphere of the group was pure excitement. The crowd was moved to tears at the opening ceremony as the speakers vocalized all the reasons we were there that day. At the end of the ceremony we followed the line out of the holding area and we were on our way! The first day we started at Lake Lanier and ended in Suwanee. Fran and I were holding up pretty good and enjoying the walk through the country roads in Buford. We were cheered at every cross walk by volunteer motorcyclists (think big, burly Harley Davidson riders in crazy outfits) and police officers. There were supporters throughout the routes that cheered us on and offered us snacks and candy. We stopped for lunch and doctored up our feet and continued on our way. In the last 5 miles of the trip we felt our feet getting numb and some pain in our knees but we marched on (a little slower). That night we took our showers in mobile shower trailers and were in bed at 7 PM that night. It was a rough night sleeping in a tent with our sleeping bags on a rough cement floor. The camp ground we were to be at was flooded so we were at the North Atlanta Trade Center.

Right before the opening ceremony

We awoke very slowly Saturday morning and felt every muscle we had in our body. Fran was having issues with her arches and blisters on her feet while I was dealing with a swollen knee. We both headed off to medical to get looked at, bandaged, and then we were on our way! Saturday was another inspiring day with all of the support of those that came out to cheer us on. Saturday we definitely felt every bump in the sidewalk but we finished the day strong! Allan volunteered to bring us an air mattress that night and so we went to bed at 8 PM that night. An hour later!!!

Our poor body at the end of day 2

We both had a “great” night of sleep but when we woke that morning we definitely felt every mile we walked. Fran had a blister the size of Stone Mountain on her foot and you couldn’t even see shape of my knee cap my knee was so swollen. We both put our big girl panties on and headed off to medical to see if they could put us both back together. The lines for medical were so long and we were literally the last people on the bus to get started for the day. Hey, it’s a walk not a race! We started our walk down Peachtree Industrial Blvd and I realized after about 6 miles that my knee was just hurting too bad for me to continue. So, I got on one of the sweep vans and headed to medical. Fran continued on her way with out me. Blair was such a sweetheart and came to the cheering station at Atlantic Station. I wanted so badly to meet her there because Fran and I really wanted to see a familiar face and she was the one person that came out along the route to cheer us on! Blair, thank you so much for coming out! It meant the world to Fran and me!!! Fran walked 5 miles on her own while I got medical treatment and rested my leg. Let me tell you those long legs of Fran’s move fast! It seemed like 5 minutes had passed and she was at the lunch stop! I decided that I wanted to finish the day out and we headed out together. The support we received in those final miles through Atlanta was truly heartwarming. Fran and I must have looked pretty pitiful limping along because people kept telling us "almost there" (People! 2 miles is not “almost there!” Almost there is when you can see the end on the horizon.) 11alive also caught us waddling down the road!

We finally made it to Turner Field where the streets were lined with supporters. We walked into Turner Field to receive our victory t-shirts and wait for all of the walkers to finish. We were lucky to see our families through the gates as they waited for the closing ceremony to start. (Thanks for coming out mom, David, Reese, Allan, Sheila, and Tiffany!!!) We all put on our t-shirts and got ready to march together. The survivors all wore pink shirts and led the way. The closing ceremony was just as inspiring as the opening and helped us to forget our aching feet. I am so proud of us that we made it to the end and it was an experience that I am glad that I was able to share with Fran.

The holding area at Turner Field before the closing ceremony

David and Reese have been amazing in helping me back to the “real world”. I do have to point out that I am so happy to have a toilet that flushes and I can actually wash my hands! We had to use antiseptic wipes after using the bathroom...for 3 days! Reese yells at me when I walk too fast and wants to help me walk anywhere I need to go. When I woke her up this morning she even said to me before opening her eyes “Mommy, is your knee all better?” I went to her classroom this morning and she had even told her teacher! David is waiting on me hand and foot since my knee is still swollen and hurting. I can’t thank both of them enough!

Breast cancer is something that has touched all of our lives. If you aren’t able to commit to the 3-day walk support a walker by donating or coming out to cheer them on as they walk. This was an amazing life experience for me and I feel honored to be part of something so important. My favorite sign that I saw over the weekend was "Mothers of daughters thank you for walking"