Walk It Away!

Dear Family & Friends,

As the old song I used to sing every summer at Laity Lodge Youth Camp goes:

“It only takes a spark to get a fire burning.”

Beginning on November 6th, 2009, I will walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women (and very brave men in pink!) in an effort to end breast cancer. The net proceeds from this event the Breast Cancer 3-Day support breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

While this is a challenge that I am 100% committed to and passionate about tackling… how the heck did this come to pass? Me?! Training to walk the equivalent of almost two and a half marathons?!

My spark began in the strangest of places. As some of you may know, I’ve been spending quite a lot of time exploring the blogging world an experience that I could not be more thrilled about. Of course putting your thoughts and opinions out into the wide world of the interwebs requires somewhat of a willingness to receive the same from others in return a concept that is both enriching and unnerving at the same time. For the most part, I have found nothing but a community of creative, intelligent, funny, and encouraging women (and very brave blogging men!). But one negative comment in mid-April of this year sparked a flame in my little safe corner of the universe a comment that made me mad, made me think, and finally, made me thankful...

Thankful for how much I’ve grown as a person in the last 10 years and thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to do so. Thankful for the people who never gave up on me; thankful for the people that stood by me through periods of superb crap. Thankful that I’ve been blessed with family that supports my decisions and loves me unconditionally; thankful for my ridiculously talented, accomplished, and gorgeously unique friends that fill my life with nothing but positive energy.

And so, twelve days later, I heard a radio ad for the Breast Cancer 3-Day and, buoyed by that lingering icky-turned-warm-fuzzy feeling, I signed up. Not because someone close to me has lost a battle with cancer, but because someone I don’t even know made me thankful I’ve never had to endure that loss. And I’d like to keep it that way.

So here I am walking long training routes four months later… in August… in Texas… on the weekends and after work. I’ve committed to raise $2,300.00 in donations and I’m going to need some stellar support to keep the fire going (boy, do I love a metaphor or what?). Therefore I'm asking you to please consider donating whatever (tax deductible woo hoo!) amount you can. You can read more about the “3-Day Experience” by visiting http://www.The3Day.org and donate to my personal fundraising webpage right here, right now!

I hope you’ll share this exercise in thanksgiving with me and take a bold step in the fight against breast cancer for us all (I’ll be taking roughly 120,000 of them!).

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!

Cheers to you,

~ Kate Moynahan Hall