My Four Year, Three Day Journey

By this time you are probably wondering why I bothered to set up a BLOG in the first place. Why on earth is so much time lapsing between posts? What could I possibly be doing that doesn't afford me a few minutes to jot down my thoughts?

Well, I've already ranted and raved about our schedules, so you know that is a factor. More importantly, however, I was preparing and then walking in my third Breast Cancer 3Day!

About 5 1/2 years ago, just after my third child was born, a very good friend of mine walked in the 2002 Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day and told me all about it. It sounded wonderful, both for the charitable and the health benefits (think post-pregnancy), but I still wasn't getting much sleep with a newborn around.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer just six months after that Walk, in November of 2002.

A year later I had been through a mastectomy, four months of chemotherapy and a TRAM flap reconstruction surgery. I was still chugging Vicodin when I got the e-mail from the same friend telling me about the 2004 Breast Cancer 3Day. She was walking again. Was I interested in donating?

I called her and asked if she would mind if I walked with her. I raised over $4000, walked 60 miles in 3 days in August 2004, promptly lost five of my ten toenails and have never looked back!

In 2005, another girlfriend and I formed Chicks for a Cure to fund raise as a team and potentially recruit more walkers. We ended up with 13 team members - 10 walkers and 3 crew members and we raised over $33,000! We had a lot of fun, even though the weekend was one of the most challenging, weather wise, of all the 3Days. This time my toenails remained intact.

My sister was married in 2006 and, naturally, the 3Day in my home state was scheduled for the weekend before her wedding. It was a very difficult decision and I know my sister would have supported me if I had chosen to do it. But, as Matron of Honor I really felt it would be irresponsible to risk my feet so close to the wedding.

After a year's hiatus I was very eager for the 2007 3Day. This year, instead of in the heat of summer, the walk was scheduled for the fall. While I was delighted that it probably meant less heat (who could have predicted 90's in October?), I was terrified about rain. Rain was my nemesis in 2004, causing a majority of my blisters.

Along the way to the 2007 3Day, I resurrected Chicks for a Cure. To my dismay, the only former teammates I could lure back were Crew (okay, one walker, but she went to Crew). Six new, wonderful women joined on to walk, however. And having five Crew Members as "Chicks" - looking out for us and performing random acts of kindness specifically for us - was a lovely security net as well.

The 2007 Chicks for a Cure totalled 12 and raised just short of $29,000!

The 2008 dates for the Walk have been announced and Chicks for a Cure will be back. Beware your e-mail inbox - I am looking for new CHICKS!!!!!