Breast Cancer 3-Day in Seattle

[jette66]

On February 20, 2007, my sister, Pam, was diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition to my sister being diagnosed, my cousin, Cindy, was also diagnosed late last year. It is because of these two women that I have decided to participate in a very special event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day in Seattle.

The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days that I will do with thousands of other women and men that have been affected by this disease. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

I have agreed to raise a minimum of $2,200 in donations, but would like to try and at least double that amount, so I've set my personal goal at $4,400. I know you don't know me from Adam, but we all know someone that's been affected by this disease - a mom, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt. I'm posting this message to ask if you'll support my fundraising efforts by making a donation. Whether it's $1 for each mile I walk, or a flat amount of $20, $50, $100 (or more), whatever amount you're willing to donate will be greatly appreciated, and will be going towards a great cause.

Please click on the link below to take a look at the donation form and designate the amount that's right for you. Please keep in mind how far I will be walking - a total of 60 miles, and how hard I'll have to train in order to successfully complete this goal I've set for myself.

According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. Pair those statistics with the fact that I have two family members that have been diagnosed, and that's the reason why I'm accepting this challenge and willing to go on this walk.

I hope you will join in supporting me as I make this amazing journey in the fight against breast cancer for my sister, my cousin and every other woman, man and child that has been affected by this disease.

Thank you in advance for your generosity, and please feel free to pass this on to your family and friends who you think might also like to make a donation to support me and a great cause!

Sincerely,
Jeanette


Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support The Breast Cancer 3-Day

[jette66]

I did it…I just completed my first – and definitely not last – Breast Cancer 3-Day and I walked all 60 miles. It is because of you and your donation that I was able to go on the most amazing journey of my life, and I wanted to take a few minutes to share my experience with you.

The walk was truly wonderful – great people, great weather, terrific route and fantastic supporters, but the biggest thing that made this experience so special was having my parents, my sister (who I was walking for) and her husband, and my brother all here from California to show their support and cheer me on.

Before telling you about my 3-Day experience, I’ll start with a few stats. There were 2,300+ walkers and 330+ crew members, and we raised $6.4 million. I have personally raised over $5,100 and still have donations coming in, and my team has raised just over $13,000.

On Day One we were welcomed with perfect walking weather as the 2007 Seattle 3-Day kicked off at Bellevue Community College. There were news vans and cameras, and the news helicopter hovering above Opening Ceremonies added excitement to the festivities and made us all feel like local stars. From there we began our 60-mile journey along a beautiful route and we were greeted by tons of supporters, including a breast cancer survivor who sat in a lawn chair knitting in between thanking each walker that passed her. I’d say the biggest highlight from Day One was walking across Mercer Island and the I-90 Bridge while being cheered on by a woman in a boat on the lake with pink ribbons. On Day One we were told we’d be walking 23.5 miles, but it ended up being closer to 25.25 miles.

On Day Two we were once again welcomed with perfect walking weather and more amazing community support – honking cars and cheerleaders from a local school; both, young and old, were out in full force. There was a group of girls in a convertible Ford Mustang, aka “The Mustang Girls”, cruising around cheering us on, as well as the “Bongo Lady” (who wore a t-shirt with a picture of two puppy dogs on it and that said “Stop Checking Out my Puppies”) who popped up all three days at different points along the route with her drum in hand providing a nice beat for us to walk to. Day Two’s route was also well-decorated with pink balloons and a big tree in Des Moines decked out with bras hanging from it. On Day Two we were told we’d be walking 19.5 miles, but it ended up being right at 20 miles.

With Day Three came a scenic walk through West Seattle and along the waters of Alki, and a fantastic view of the Space Needle…our final destination for Closing Ceremonies. The route was lined with inspirational posters, signs and pink balloons, and many neighborhood supporters were there to cheer us on. On Day Three as we made our way up 1st Ave past Safeco Field and Qwest Field, then through Pioneer Square and downtown Seattle, you could just feel the energy and excitement as we got closer and closer to Seattle Center and the Closing Ceremonies.

As me and my teammates made our approach to Seattle Center, my sister and her husband were waiting for us. It was at this point my sister, Pam, took off her ballcap and showed off her bald head with pride, and then proceeded to take those final steps with team “AAA Strides for a Cure” to the finish line, as the crowd lined up on both sides of the walkway cheered us on. We’d done it…we’d finished our very first Breast Cancer 3-Day.

This really was a life changing experience, and if you ever have the opportunity to participate in a 3-Day, I highly recommend it. If you don’t think you can do the actual walk, there are other ways you can participate…go to a cheering station, become a volunteer or a crew member, or set up on the route and hand out candy, or baby wipes, or just say “thank you for walking”.

I’ve already decided I will walk in the 3-Days until there is a cure and I don’t have to walk anymore. I’m already thinking about next year, and I’m even considering doing two 3-Day walks…120 miles total. The people you meet are incredible and there aren’t words to describe how awesome the crew is. They are constantly making sure you’re okay and the Harley Bikers who were our crossing guards were always making us forget how sore our feet really were.

I did complete the entire 60 miles and came home with several blisters, but every step, every mile and every blister was well worth it. I did this for my sister, my cousin, and for every other woman out there that has been struck with this disease.


Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
Jette

[bbnbama]

jette66 what a beautifully written post....I could picture it all in my mind.

Bless you for all you do and hopefully you won't have to walk many more of these!

[ScoutMom]

jette66 - You did a truly thoughtful thing, and what an accomplishment! I also hope that you won't have to walk any more of these. Thank you for what you did.

[MRD]

Jette,
You're post was so touching and so inspirational that by the time I got to the part where your sister removed her hat, I had tears pouring down my face.

What a truly wonderful thing you and all the other walkers did. I hope it can inspire all of us to support this in some way. I have donated this year, not as much as I'd like, but maybe I should consider getting involved in other ways.
I have 2 highschool classmates diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 2 years and I lost another classmate to breast cancer. We are all in our mid 40's so it really has started to hit closer to home for me. But getting more people involved in this great event should make great strides (pardon the pun) in hoping that you and others don't have to walk in this much longer.

Thanks for doing such a wonderful thing and writing such an amazing and inspirting account of it.
Please, send this in to your local paper. More people should read this so that they too can be inspired to help.

[homeontherange]

jette66 - You are AWESOME! I have never heard of these 3-Day events before so I will have to find out more. Maybe there would be someone locally I could support who is participating. My prayers go out to your sister and your cousin. Thank you for your commitment and dedication!

[jette66]

Thank you to those who read and responded.

myrosiedog...Any donation you make, even if it's $1.00, makes a difference. I will add your two friends to my list, and when I walk next year, I'll walk for them as well. My sister is only 47, and I just turned 41.

homeontherange...this year there were 12 3-day walks, and they're still going on. In fact, this weekend the walk is going on in Atlanta. Next year, there will be 14 walk...they're adding one in the San Francisco bay area and another in Washington DC.

Both, my sister and my dad, have told me they're going to walk with me next year, but they're in So. CA, so San Diego is closer to them, so it looks like I'll be doing two walks next year...the one here in Seattle and the one in San Diego.

Like I said in my post...if you can find a way to participate, it will be one of the most amazing things you'll ever experience. Even if you don't think you can walk the 60 miles, you can go to a cheering station, or stand on the route and say "thank you" to the walkers.

Thanks again for reading and responding.

For more info, you can go to Welcome to the Breast Cancer 3-Day

[misskitty]

Jette: Congratulations on completing your walk for Breast Cancer! Yours is a truly amazing story. Even here in Canada, we have the 3-day walk and it's grown every year. I send my best wishes and healing energy to your dear sister in her fight against this awful illness.

We also have the annual Terry Fox runs across the nation which also raise an amazing amount of funds for research.

My sister has lost two friends to breast cancer, and my younger cousin has managed to survive finding lumps 3 times without having to have chemo. But she has had surgery. We have also had family and friends touched by other types of cancer.

My heart goes out to anyone who helps to find a cure by donating and walking!

You should be very proud of yourself.

[MRD]

I thank you on behalf of my friends.

I did manage to donate a bit more than the $1 donation that several stores are participating in. But I'd sure like that lottery to cooperate with me more. I keep saying that if I win, I have many charities I'd like to donate too, but so far, nothing. I keep hoping because then I can donate what I want instead of what I can afford.

(of course, it helps if you actually buy a lottery ticket too! More than the one a month I usually buy. I guess I have to take some course of action in order to win!!!)

[bbnbama]

As a Garth Brooks lover, I was proud to see this...plus it ties in with what you did jette66

Link Here

Brooks album to benefit breast cancer group
Response to a special edition of his hits collection at the nonprofit's website is too great to handle online.
By Matea Gold
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

October 16, 2007

Country music superstar Garth Brooks' announcement this morning that he's releasing a special edition of his forthcoming three-disc "The Ultimate Hits" album to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure overwhelmed the breast-cancer awareness organization's website, forcing volunteers to switch to phones to continue fielding pre-order requests.

The "pink edition" of Brooks' album will be available exclusively on www.komen.org starting Nov. 6, with $10 of the $15 purchase price going directly to the group. The album will also include information about breast cancer and self-examinations. ("The Ultimate Hits," which includes three new songs among 30 tracks on two CDs plus a DVD with 33 videos, will be released the same day in a conventional version that will be sold at other outlets.)

Brooks said he was inspired to partner with Komen after his wife, singer Trisha Yearwood, participated in one of the organization's three-day fundraising walks.

"I've never been more proud of her," he said at a news conference in Manhattan. "So I immediately started to think, how can I be that cool?"