This is my fourth Breast Cancer 3-Day and just one of many Susan G. Komen events in which I have participated. I did this walk for the first time in 2009, and it was absolutely one of the most impactful and meaningful things I've ever done in my life, so when I found out it was coming back to Denver in 2023, I registered immediately, and as soon as we were done with that walk, I registered for 2024. And then I registered for this year before we even started the walk last year. I had just turned only 34 when I did this walk the first time, and now I'm celebrating my 50th! In 2009, a sprained ankle, a swollen quad muscle, and a bruised foot didn't stop me. In 2023, shin splints didn't stop me. In 2024, 6 really nasty blisters couldn't stop me. So I'll be damned if official middle age is gonna stop me now! 

Because I have as many reasons as miles to walk! My Mom is a two-time survivor, and we lost my grandmother and great-grandmother, my namesake, to breast cancer. My aunts are survivors, and one of my aunts lost her sister to it. One of my oldest and dearest friends lost her brother to prostate cancer, and shortly thereafter, she lost that same brother's wife to breast cancer. Another one of my oldest and dearest friends is a survivor, and another dear friend lost her best friend, at just 29 years old to this evil disease. My former boss lost his brother-in-law to breast cancer. Yes, his brother-in-law. Cancer does not discriminate. No one is immune, not even men!

In 2009, I walked on behalf of the friend who lost her best friend that same year because she broke her leg just months before the event. Later that year, at the 5k event, I met the family of the girl in whose memory I walked. I walked with two sisters who lost their mother to breast cancer, and we proudly carried the Mother banner together and shared so much laughter and so many tears. I walked with two best friends, one of whom lost her mother, and the other of whom walked to support her. That friend hurt her knee - badly - on day 1, but she kept going and walked as much of each leg as she possibly could in order to support her best friend. When I developed a tension knot the size of a grapefruit in my thigh on Day 1, a crew member massaged my leg as long as she could to get me back in walking shape for the next day. When I bruised my foot on Day 2, another crew member treated it and taped it up so that I could keep going. In 2023, the same crew member who massaged the tension knot out of my quad muscle in 2009 was waiting for me in the pouring rain with open arms and big kisses at lunch on Day 1. She then continued taping up my leg the whole weekend to keep me going in spite of the screaming shin splints. Last year, she taped up both of my feet all weekend to keep me going in spite of the burning, throbbing blisters. The people I have met on these events, and the friendships I have developed, are simply amazing, and I am honored to say that I am still friends with all of these incredible people all these years later. And I just keep making more deep, lasting friendships each year!

So I am walking for all of these people. I'm walking because some can't. I'm walking because 60 miles is not nearly as hard as chemo. No, my walk won't cure cancer. But your support of it can! And I'm walking to show my support for everyone who has faced it from any perspective, and especially for those who may face it in the future. I'm walking another 60 miles to show my commitment. I'm walking because I watched my Mom go through chemo when I was 21 and couldn't even fathom what was happening. I'm walking because I never got to meet my grandmother or my great-grandmother, after whom I was named. I'm walking for my sister, my brother, my niece and nephews, my aunts and uncles, my cousins and their kids, my friends and their kids, and myself. I'm walking in the hopes of finding better treatment options and preventative services. Because of my family history, my doctor recommended I start getting Breast MRIs in addition to my annual mammograms. And I found out last year that Breast MRIs SUCK! And they're EXPENSIVE, even AFTER insurance. So I'm training and raising funds for this cause in the hopes that these services, and potentially better ones can be available to people who can't afford them. I'm walking because CANCER SUCKS! Far more than the bruises I'll have up and down my arms on July 7th from the contrast dye for my MRI, and far more than any of the blisters, bruises, muscle strains, and shin splints I've developed on my past walks, and anything the cosmos can throw at me this year. (What WILL my challenge be this year? Hmm. But bring it on cause I WILL keep going!)

People often gasp when I tell them I'm walking 60 miles. Yes, it's a lot. But it's literally a blip compared to chemo and radiation. It's nothing compared to watching someone you love waste away, lose their hair, lose their lunch, and still lose the battle. People are also stunned when I tell them I have to raise a minimum of $2300 in order to participate. Again, it's a lot. And honestly, the fundraising can be as tough as the training. But it takes a lot to put on an event like this, and the organizers and sponsors need to know the participants are committed. It also takes a lot to pay for research. And that's what it's really about. Research is expensive. We've come a long way since my grandmother passed. We've come a long way since my Mom's mastectomies. But we still have a long way to go. It is my dream that by the time my niece and nephews and my cousins' kids may have to face this that we have at least better treatment options, if not a cure. And cancer is cancer. And the treatment options currently available are zero fun. I like walking in my favorite color and sporting pink ribbons because it's a lot more fun to talk about saving second base, but at the end of the day, if we can find a cure for any kind of cancer, we might just be able to cure all types of cancer. All donations go toward research, raising awareness, developing treatments, and providing preventative services to those in need. 

So if you can, I would be so appreciative of any support you can offer, be it financially or just through love and prayer. I know it's a big ask. But it's a big walk and a much bigger cause. So if you are able to make a donation, I would be so deeply grateful. But if you aren't able, I would appreciate your love and prayers. And if you could share this post, it would be so helpful. If you're seeing this, you are important to me, and your support means the world to me. 

And if you are able to donate, please let me know if you're donating in memory or in honor of someone special so that I can make sure you and that person are recognized. As I've done with each walk, I will be having shirts made to name every person for whom I'm walking. And if you own a business, I would be honored to advertise your business as a sponsor. Also, please stay tuned for more fun fundraising events over the next month. If you participated in the Super Bowl pool, thank you! I plan to do more events similar to this because we still have a long way to go!

Together we have the power to eradicate cancer. Until we do, I'll keep on walking. 60 miles is a long walk, but we have so many more miles to go. Even if you've just taken the time to read through this, please know that I appreciate you. And however you are able to support me, I thank you from the depths of my heart and my currently healthy tatas.