The 3day

I am finally blogging about the 3day. Better late than never right? In November I had the opportunity to Walk in the breast cancer 3day walking sixty miles over three days to support and raise money for breast cancer research and education. I know this doesn't have much to do with pediatric cancer but the research that goes into breast cancer has application in other types of cancer.
The best thing about the 3day was being around two thousand other people who are doing something in a big way for the fight for cancer. It was amazing to hear their individual experiences and why they were walking. It was amazing how many of them were cancer survivors themselves. For most people getting cancer would be enough, but these amazing people were giving what they had after almost giving all in the fight against cancer. One of the most amazing stories came from a lady that was first diagnosed with breast cancer ten years ago. She was able to beat it and went into remission. But four years later she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Once again she went through chemo and radiation and beat ovarian cancer. Then last year she was again diagnosed with breast cancer, This time it had spread throughout her whole body. She walked all sixty miles of the three day last year between her thirteenth and fourteenth round of chemo! This year she was walking again, cancer free. Ten years ago stage four breast cancer held little hope..there is no stage five. But today advances in treatment has allowed people like her to survive because of people like her making a difference. Sixty miles was a LONG way. I would be lying to say I wasn't sore and tired and walking in pain but to hear stories like that there was no way I could complain.
I had a team to walk with but I was the only member of that team to raise the $2200 required to walk and so I did it alone. Although it would have been nice to have someone to do it with it was also good to do it alone because it caused me to talk to so many new people and to meet people all along the way. I met people that came all the way from england to walk in the 3day. All in all it was an amazing experience. Thanks to everyone who donated to my 3day. It was so refreshing to spend 3days with people so commited to doing what they can and to see the amazing support from the community. It was hard not to cry walking by little girls holding signs saying things like thanks for walking for the grandma I'll never meet. Truly Inspirational.