One Step Closer to a Cure. (A thank you.)
October 5th, 2009 at 7:28 am. Posted in Just Rachel, no. i'm really that crazy..
As i’m sure many of you already know, in just under two weeks I am participating in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day. As part of this event, I’ll walk 60 miles over the course of three days (That’s 20 MILES A DAY. TWENTY.). Also as a part of this amazing event, I have committed to raise $2,300 for the cause and I’m happy to say that yesterday, I hit my goal.
So many of you guys have supported me, donated money or sent an email of encouragement if you couldn’t donate… and that means everything to me. I signed up for this journey back in April, and it’s changed me. I’m a part of something bigger than myself, i’m a part of thousands of people fighting something. I’m helping the world get one step closer to finding a cure.
It’s been a long four months full of fundraisers, late nights and lots and lots of training. As someone who runs fairly regularly (you like how I threw that “fairly” in there, didn’t ya?), i’ll tell you right now… walking so SO MUCH DIFFERENT. I just sort of figured that since I was in good shape and I ran a few times a week just walking 20 miles a day wouldn’t hurt me. Ohhh, was I ever wrong. There have been blisters and bandages, shoe changes and sock adjustments. I’ve switched out waistpacks and waterbottles becuase they were too heavy or the strap was rubbing wrong. My feet have scars all over the place from where my shoes rubbed the wrong way for just a little too long. I’ve lost count of the miles i’ve walked.
I’ve baked cupcakes, served cocktails, made chocolate covered pretzels with pink white chocolate, i’ve hung fliers, sold merchandise and i’ve spent hours sitting outside of local stores with a donation jar with my best friend. I’ve had people tell me that no, they won’t donate. I’ve had people tell me that what I was doing was silly, that it was SO MUCH money to raise. I’ve had people tell me that it’s “not normal” to walk 60 miles. Yesterday while my girlfriend Stephanie and I were sitting outside of a local walmart with our table decked out in pink & filled with merchandise, chocolate pretzels in bags tied with pink ribbons and brownies with pink icing ribbons on them, some guy walked by us and then came back, looked at us and said “$1 for a freaking brownie? I can understand like $.50 or something, but not $1. You girls are ridiculous.” Stephanie just looked at the guy as said “It’s for charity, sir.” and let me just tell you, homeboy was so lucky that it took me a second to realize what was going on, because I wouldn’t have been so nice. Stephanie and I were really hurt by this, we had worked so hard and done so much… and for one person to come along and actually take the time out of his day to make us feel bad? Ridiculous. Most people would just drop $1 into our jar, so we thought it would be nice to give them a brownie or a few pretzels. It worked out well, we raised over $350 in five hours.
In those same five hours though, we heard stories from local women that were survivors. We had one woman come up to us, give us a hug and tell us that she was just diagnosed and she was amazed that two young people would actually care so much. I’ve been in stores shopping and had on one of my team tshirts and had a woman come up to me with tears in her eyes and just want to give me a hug. I’ve heard stories of men who have lost sisters, husbands who have lost wives, daughters that have lost mothers, husbands who have lost wives. I can recount each and every one of these stories and I can remember the faces of the people that told them to me. You don’t hear stories like that and forget. It dawned on me not too long ago. This walk, it’s not all about finding a cure for breast cancer. It’s about giving people hope. It’s about letting people in the middle of a struggle know that someone out there cares. That’s what makes this all so worth it. The people that thank us, the people that tell us we’re doing an amazing thing. It’s about coming together as a group, as a community and finding a cure for breast cancer so we don’t have to keep losing people we love.
I’m walking this year on team Birds for Boobs. We are a team of women (EAGLES fans! E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!! Ahem.), 39 members strong. So far this year, we have raised over $60,000 for The 3 Day. I’m pretty proud of us. On the 16th of this month, i’ll be heading up to the City of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia!) to begin my 60 mile journey. It’s going to be hard, there are times i’m going to want to quit… of this i’m sure. But i’ll do it. I’ll make it with the strength of all of the amazing people I have met so far who have shared their stories and let us know their fight. I’m doing this for them.
If you are in the Philadelphia area, please consider coming out to cheer on the walkers! There are cheering stations set up and we would LOVE to see you out there. If you aren’t available this year, think about getting involved in 2010! If not The 3 Day, then ANYTHING. Get off your butt and make a difference in something. You’d be surprised how amazing it feels to make a difference!
Congrats on reaching your goal! It’s such a huge step toward finding a cure. Good luck with your walk!
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