I am an active walker for the Breast Cancer 3day. This will be my second year helping to raise money to make a difference. As an individual, you raise $2300 or more to help in reasearch and treatments of Breast Cancer. Not only are you helping a non-profit charity raise money to help so many men and women, I believe it also shows the type of individual you are. The Dallas-Ft. Worth 3day walk takes place in November each year. During this 3 day event, thousands of men and women will walk 60 miles over 3 days to help bring awareness to people all over the city. They say everyone has a story as to why they do this amazing journey...well this is some of my story:
I can honestly say that I've always bought things in October that were pink to help support a good cause, or give a little money here and there to help someone else if I can. I do not have any family members who have had ever been diagnosed with breast cancer, so many people ask why do you do it, why do show so much passion towards something that hasn't effected your family? Truthfully, I do it because it makes me feel good to know I am helping someone out there learn more about breast cancer, learn how to prevent it, how to be aware of the risks involved. I don't believe someone in my family has to have been effected for me to truly give back to someone else. I have made some amazing friends being involved with this event, and I am there to support them, to help them see that others are there for them and their families, even if they have not been hurt themselves.
Last year about this same time, a friend of mine Courtney, asked me if I would be interested in joining their 3day team. I wasn't sure what it was or how it worked, so I asked her to tell me more. After thinking about it for a few days and needing to come up with the $90 registration fee, I decided this sounded like a great idea! So I logged on to www.the3day.org and registered for the November event. Our team, 'Get Your Pink On' started out pretty big, but in the end there was only 7 of us walking...but if you think about it, the 7 of us raised more than $16,100!
Fundraising was hard for me at first, I'd never really done it before and I found myself struggling. I feared I would not reach my goal and would not be able to walk for there was no way I could come up with the reamining amount of money out of my own pocket. So I had only raised around $400 and it was already August. In my determination not to fail, I started doing car washes on the weekend....I started asking every single person I knew, and had them ask people also. I even got my company to donate $250! My friends Monica and and Shawna helped with my car washes. Monica also helped me sell all of my bake sale items at a car show one night...talk about awesome! We raised a little over $100 on my cookies and cupcakes at only 50 cents each...not bad if ask me :)
So I did end up reaching my goal...all but $100 before November...but they let me split that last $100 up into a couple payments so I didn't need to stress about coming up with it right away. So the night before the walk, I meet Courtney at her house, we were going to sleep over at her mom's since she was going to drive all of us to opening ceramonies. Up till midnight like bad girls and then up by 5am to get ready...it was going to be a long first day. Even with the hold up with Courtney's sister and such, we managed to make it to opening ceramonies before they started. We put all our luggage on big trucks numbered with our tent assignments and walk and join everyone else. It was a big chilly, but nothing too bad. As they open up the ceramonies with music and flags and speeches, you feel the emotions start to rise. Before you know it, everyone is crying and hugging, I had goosebumps all over just standing there with all these wonderful men and women. So we do some stretching and then the line begins...miles of walkers through the streets of downtown Dallas. We walk with our heads high and proud. We walk as a group for the most part. With pitstops for food and fluids and restrooms every 3-4 hours, sweep vans to help you if you need to rest for a bit, there was never a moment you felt alone or unsafe. Someone was there to pick you up or help you to the next station. I'd never seen anything so amazing, so many people coming together to help eachother and make sure each person was at their best. First day was rough, Courney and her sister had to leave at lunch because of a death in their family, so our team was down two, but that did not stop us. I was a first time walker, probably not in as great of shape as some of these people, so I couldn't keep up with part of my team and walked alone a lot, but I never gave up. I was determined to prove I could be a part of this and nothing could stop me.
After blisters and painful arches and sunburns and dehydration, the end of day 3 finally came. I had walked all but 6 miles of the entire walk. I had to give up 2 miles at the last pit stop on day 2 because of dehydration...not enough fluids, bad me. I gave up 2 miles at the end of day one because it was painful to walk, and I gave up a couple miles the last day in the beginning to try and catch up with my team. Because I was red flagged for dehydration, I was not cleared to walk on day 3 before my team mates were ready to leave, so I told them to go ahead without me. I never did catch up to my 3 teammates on day 3, they were some of the first people to finish that day, but about a quarter of the way into that day, Courtney did show up at a pitstop to walk the remaining of the walk with me. She walked through my limping and all my pain...and cheered my on the whole way, saying I was doing great, that despite the pain I kept going. My family came out to cheer me on at a cheering station, that was an incredible feeling. Cheering stations warm your heart so much, that for a few minutes, you forget about any and all pain you have. You walk with your head high and just keep going, waving and smiling as everyone cheers for you and your fellow walkers.
Closing ceramonies, like opening were very emotional. We salute our survivors who walk with us, we cheer for finishing, and we laugh for all the amazing things we accomplished over the last 3 days of our lives. Those 3 days are 3 days you will never forget, will always cherish and will hold close to your heart for a lifetime.
I decided to join again for 2010 because I will admit that it was the most rewarding experience of my life. I have never felt like part of anything so big. Even four months later, I remember every detail of every day. I want to have this experience again, to live through all of it again. I want to walk with my head high and people around me proud and be able to say, I've made a difference!!!
If you are interested in learning more about the 3day, you can visit
www.the3day.org
or visit my personal page at
www.the3day.org/goto/chrimsonfyre
and my team
www.the3day.org - search for team Get Your Pink On
Remember everyone deserves a lifetime.....
