aunt bea and lindsay
Just got this picture from my friend Jill. I guess this is the best way i can sum up the reason i’ve been walking and raising money for the 3Day… this is my aunt. my survivor, my reason for walking, my inspiration! If she can go through chemo and be strong then i can surely do my part. so today i would like to talk about the 3day….
the three day is an amazing expereince, one i likely cannot sum up in words, pictures or tears. It starts out as this awesome adventure that you are going to take on. you volunteer to raise at least $2,200 individually and also to do many training walks… and then it begins and you realize what a great challenge it is to do these “simple” tasks. You spend hours strategizing and preparing for fundraising events, you make calls, write letters, send emails asking for monetary donations, for prizes to give away and anything inbetween. Once you’ve started fundraising and it gets to be about march you start to think of the many miles you will need to train, the many socks you will wear, the pairs of shoes you need to buy, the gallons of water and gatorade you must drink…. and so it begins… Training. Training is by far my favorite part of the pre-walk adventure. i love walkin 10 miles after work, and then squeezing in 20 or 40 on a weekend. It sounds crazy but its awesome exercise, time to catch up with teammates, brainstorm about fundraising, catch up on an audio book etc. ok… fast forward a few weeks/months… your energy and enthusiasm has started to fall off and you struggle to go early and walk 13 miles while all of your friends are out at the beach or sleeping off the hangover from last nights bon fire… but you k now you’ve got to, this is not the time to start slacking, you’ve made it so far… fast foward again… its the week before the walk. crunch.time! you have to pack for the weekend, you have to prepare mentally for the challenge ahead and get excited! now its time to leave… getting to the walk is so exciting, having your pink EVERYTHING with you… streamers, bandanas, socks, waterbottles etc… and then you hear it… the opening ceremonies have begun. you are reminded why you walk. the survivor circle begins, the year of work has paid off. you have arrived! once you have thought about all your reasons for walking, its time for some quiet reflection. those we have lost, those who suffer, those who are fighting and the hope that one day it will all be a memory… now the walking begins. along the way you see people with signs and people clapping, your friends, your family. and the most touching are the survivors who simply thank you. and just before that tear falls, you are so proud and so happy of what you and your fellow walkers have done! you can complain about sleeping in a tent, or about the food, or how far the bathrooms are but those three days will bond you to your team like you would have never imagine possible. *side note, i got to really know my brother in law this year, and i got to have my survivor see me walk in my second 3day* you meet people along the way who are incredibly kind… and those who make you laugh… those who make you cry…. zip forward… closing ceremonies. all of your supporters create a walk way for you to walk through. thousands of supporters…. and the walkers walk in silence… to remember those who have been lost. its soooo moving. and then off comes one shoe of each walker. we raise these shoes in victory of the accomplishments we’ve made, we walk these shoes in honor of those we walk for, in honor of those who’ve walked in the past, and to remember that we would walk around the world if it would cure cancer. the tears stream, the survivors walk in… and the crowd errupts, tears, clapping, cheering… pure bliss! look at the amazing women! our mothers, daughters, aunts, grandmothers, even our brothers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles… it affects us all.
if you have never been to a part of the 3day event, you really should. its the most amazing experience, and like i said before i can never put it into words… you have to just be there! so please follow my team on the journey to the 2008 3 day or simply watch for us… september we walk another 60 miles in michigan… come be a part of this great event.. the3day.org or our team site… http://teamwicked.wordpress.com.
Thank you.
we walk because we believe….
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