Looking for knitting content? This is a strictly philanthropic post, and it’s pretty personal. Please feel free to pass on by, I won’t be at all offended.
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THE STORY: Every year for the last 3 (this will be the fourth) Tad and I and a bunch of other crazy people have gathered for an amazing, grueling, gut-wrenching, and heart-lifting 3 Days. 3 Days where we walk, and talk about life, loss, hope, and those that we love. 3 Days where we brush off small complaints, minor aches and pains, blisters, hunger, heat and sometimes pounding rain. Because let me tell you (and I know that too many of you know this either from personal experience, or through someone that you care for deeply), these things are nothing compared with cancer. These are 3 Days where we hold each other up (sometimes quite literally), hold ourselves to a higher standard, and become something much more than we are in our everyday lives. For many people, walking even a few miles is a challenge - at 60 miles, this isn’t an easy event, and it isn’t meant to be. I’m not exagerating when I say that I feel like a superhero each time that I do it. And still, it’s nothing when compared with what cancer victims are up against. Talk about superheroes.
My mom is my hero. She was incredible - selfless and strong. Being my mother (and a great one at that) would have been enough, but she was also my dearest friend. These miles we walk won’t bring her back - believe me, I would walk the world over if there were even the smallest chance that it could. Somehow though, it does help. This event is so much more than a fundraiser to me, although it’s ultimate purpose is to raise much needed funds for research to fight this disease. In general I’m a pretty upbeat person, but cancer is something that just makes me angry - furious really, and this is a chance for me to re-direct this energy in a positive manner, to a cause that matters. It’s therapy. This event is a chance to grieve with others who know what this kind of loss feels like, a chance to give each other an ear or shoulder if needed, a chance to remember those that have been lost, share good memories, laugh over the funny stories. And a chance to celebrate those that are still fighting, a chance to do something for some truly amazing women and men some walking with us and some carried in our thoughts, those that have or are battling the disease themselves. It’s a chance to do something for all of us who have been fortunate enough to live without cancer, in hopes that we will never have to fight it ourselves.
Cancer doesn’t discriminate, and breast cancer is just one form of the disease. It happens to be my focus because of it’s impact on my life. Four women in my family including my mother have had breast cancer. My mother is the only one who lost her life to the disease. Those are some good odds, thanks to research and treatment - but they aren’t good enough. And that’s why, each year, I sign on to do this again - walk 60 miles in 3 Days to help raise money for this cause. I believe that the causes of breast cancer can be identified, that it can be fought, that a cure will be found. I’m not a doctor, a nurse, or a researcher, and I feel helpless sometimes (I think there are times when even these people feel at a loss), but this is something that I can do to contribute to the fight. Research is expensive, but necessary if we are going to kick cancer to the curb. So I will raise as much money as possible.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: If you would like to donate, please visit my 3Day website by clicking here. If you would like to donate but are uncomfortable doing so online, please email me by clicking on the contact me link in the upper left corner of the sidebar and I will get you the appropriate information. Each year, I carry the names of all those that I know who are battling the disease or who have been lost. And I would be honored to carry the names of your loved ones with me as well, please just share their names and your connection to them with me, if you are comfortable doing so. Those who are gone are not forgotten, and those that are still fighting need our help. I believe in the power of positive thinking, prayer, karma, whatever you may call it, and I carry these names, along with my mom, Linda Chase, in my heart. Our walk this year is in Boston Massachusetts, August 4-6. Thank you in advance for any help you are able to give, whether it be a donation, spreading the word by linking to this post and telling your friends, or positive vibes for safe training and a safe walk. Interested in joining us? Shoot me an email, or click on the 3Day link at the bottom of this post.
Over the coming weeks, I will move this post to it’s own page within the site where you can keep up with my progress in training and fundraising, and keep your eyes peeled - I’m brainstorming for a good fundraising contest which I’ll be posting about as well!
THANK YOU & THE PLUG: Thank you so much for your time in reading this post, I recognize that it is not the most uplifting topic, but I feel it’s necessary. What IS uplifting is all the people who are surviving this disease - and the thought that one day there will be no victims, only survivors. I believe that I will see an end to breast cancer as a life threatening disease in my lifetime.
And here’s my plug. Please, if you are reading this and haven’t been screened, please call your doctor and make an appointment today. If there are issues of where to go, insurance coverage, or what have you, there are often resources available and I can connect you with people who can help.
About the Breast Cancer 3-Day
Taking place in 12 cities nationwide, the Breast Cancer 3-Day is a three day, 60-mile walk that provides an opportunity to educate tens of thousands of people about breast health, including the importance of early detection. Breast Cancer 3-Day participants commit to raising a minimum of $2,200 and walking an average of 20 miles a day during each three-day event. Proceeds from the Breast Cancer 3-Day are used for breast cancer research, education, and community outreach programs. As the primary beneficiary of the Breast Cancer 3-Day, Susan G. Komen for the Cure receives 85 percent of net proceeds and the remaining 15 percent goes to the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Please visit www.The3Day.org, or call 1-800-996-3DAY for more information. Your donation is fully tax deductible and information will be provided with a donation confirmation.
September 11th, 2007 by 
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