"The Miracle is not in Finishing... but in having the Courage to Begin!"
CLICK HERE to visit my 2003 personal web page and help me in my efforts to support the Breast Cancer 3-Day!
A Journey of a Lifetime
July 12th-14th, 2002
(A.K.A. My 3-Day, 60 Mile Walk Santa Clara to San Francisco for Breast Cancer Awareness)
The following pages contain a lot of graphics and will take some time to download.
The Santa Clara to San
Francisco Avon 3 Day walk is over. Nearly
2 months
after the event, I'm still not sure where to begin. This was
such an emotional experience, and there's so much to tell…so, if you'll bear
with me, I'll write as much as I can, and try to share as much of the emotion as
I am able to convey in writing.
What an incredibly awesome experience. Some
said I was crazy… others said I was an inspiration. I had no idea what
was in front of me as I took my first steps that early Friday. I thought this
would be a great challenge for myself. I thought it would be wonderful to show
the world, and myself, that despite my age, or having cancer, that you can still
go out and accomplish anything you set your mind to. I was thrilled with the
idea of raising money for breast cancer and, at the same time, really
challenging myself.
Yes, everyone thought I was nuts and that I had lost my mind. They don't think that anymore… or maybe they do! The support I got for my walking and any activities I did for cancer awareness was overwhelming. The weekend ended up completely different than I had planned, nonetheless, I can say, without hesitation, it was the experience of a lifetime! It was a very moving experience. Words cannot describe how I now feel and what I was feeling during my 3-Day journey. After the 3-Day walk, I have gained even more strength and courage to accomplish things I would never have thought possible.
We walked up the San Francisco peninsula through quiet green suburbs, in the shade of leafy trees and gently rolling hills. We camped out under the stars of San Francisco Bay, heading into the city, through Golden Gate Park, and finished in a gorgeous Closing Ceremony oceanside on the Marina Green.
Why
does a collective group of strangers come together to do something this extreme? We
walked to honor mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, cousins,
friends, and strangers. And the survivors walked because
they could. There
were
mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, lovers and friends, young and
old, and people of all sizes.
There
were stories of triumph and tragedy. Some people walked in memory of those who
died from the disease. Others walked in place of people with breast cancer who
were too weak or ill to participate. Many others just wanted to do what they
could to help stamp out the disease that will claim the lives of an estimated 43,000 women this year.
Ah, but the details, you ask…
Together, 4400 men and women walked, talked, slept, ate,
hydrated, stretched, shared, laughed and cried. We helped our neighbors set up
their tents. We lent our shoulders to those in line behind us so they could
stretch. We let that really desperate-looking woman go ahead of us in the porta-potty line. We ate a lot of peanut butter. We listened to heartbreaking
and uplifting stories from survivors and their loved ones. We cracked each other
up. We cheered each other on. We saved the last drops of our shampoo to share.
We praised the crew. We cursed the weather. We slept in wet sleeping bags. We
drank thousands of gallons of Gatorade. We made new friends. We dropped our
underwear in the shower twice (Oh, that was only me!). We threatened to burn our
shoes, fanny packs, and the Gatorade plant. We absorbed the love from
the many cheering stations and people we encountered along the way. We got
stickers! We rubbed each other’s shoulders while standing in line. We sang. We
told lame jokes. We remembered, reflected, thanked, prayed, and celebrated.
We walked.
We
are the Faith Walkers! We walked by faith and not by sight! We walked 60 miles! We raised a net total of $7
million!!! To quote the wonderful walker and survivor who spoke to us at Opening
and Closing Ceremonies:
WE
ARE ALIVE
The "Faith Walkers", Margie (left) and Christine (right).
Continued...
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