Lissaville

the dancing lady …. making a new friend …. the pink fountain in downtown Plymouth at Kellogg Park….  strangers lining the streets to cheer us on…. little girls passing out stickers to affix to our credential holder…. little boys spraying us with squirt guns… walking with my friend Sandy for the third time …. coolers filled with ice water to soak my buff in…. my husband, with a group of friends and family, setting up their own cheering station and handing out watermelon, grapes, Gatorade, freeze pops and encouragement to all the walkers that passed them by..

… walking by Michigan Stadium … the fire engine at the end of the route on both Saturday and Sunday spraying water on us …

These are some of the memories I have from my third Michigan Breast Cancer 3-Day that I walked in the weekend of August 14-16, 2009.  It was hot, brutally hot and humid, but I walked every step of the route and I had a great time doing it.  The weekend of the Michigan 3-Day walk was the hottest weekend so far this summer.  The summer of 2009 in Michigan has been an unseasonably cool one, with temperatures in the mid 70′s to low 80′s and no  humidity.  I do not like the heat, and especially not the humidity, and I really didn’t train very much, so I was concerned that I would not finish the walk, or if I did finish, that I would be in pretty sorry shape.  Well, I did finish and on the following Monday, I was sore, but not as sore as I thought I would be. 

I absolutely cherish being able to do the 3-Day Walk every year as it’s a reminder to me of all that I have been through and, most importantly, of all that I have to be grateful for.  When I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer almost four years ago now, I promised myself that if I survived my disease, I would do the 3- Day walk – at least once, was my thinking.  It would be “my closure”, the “final chapter” in my cancer battle, I told myself.  Well, I kept that promise to myself to walk, and in 2007, less than 8 weeks after a complete hysterectomy, I walked in my first Breast Cancer 3-Day.  Yep, you read that right,  I walked less than 8 weeks after major surgery.  I am in no way recommending that anyone else do this, but that is just how I’m wired – tell me I can’t or shouldn’t do something and I’ll prove you wrong.  From my initial diagnosis, I was determined not to let cancer get in the way of my life (or law school!) and I viewed my diagnosis and treatment as just another ball to juggle.  I had to schedule my surgery around two  major conflicts, one being law school, and the other, the 3-Day Walk.  So, that left me with the first week of August for my surgery, giving me just under 8 weeks to recover for the walk and 3 weeks before school started again.   I was so bound and determined to walk in the 2007 3-Day because I had raised more than double the required amount to walk and I had trained so hard leading up to my surgery.  My family and doctor were not thrilled about me walking, but I continually reassured them that I would get on a sweep van if necessary, and even though I didn’t need to, I know I would have.

For me, the 3-Day has become, for lack of a better term, a pilgrimage.  Sandy, who I met on my first 3-Day walk in 2007, and I, meet up every year and have a whole three days to catch up with each other and discuss what’s going on in the world.  Well, almost three whole days, as we don’t camp but instead go home as a) we live very close to the 3-Day campsite and b) like sleeping in our own beds.   (Camping is not a requirement for participating in the 3-Day, just the fund raising is).  I also love doing the 3-Day every year because it reinforces my notion that the world is a very good place.  It’s hard to describe, but when I was going through my cancer treatment, everyone I knew (and even some I didn’t know), from the medical personnel to my family, friends and neighbors, went out of their way to take care of me and my family.  It was an incredible feeling to experience the goodness of humankind on a daily basis but it subsided when my treatment ended.  Walking in the 3-Day brings some of that experience back for me.  Simply put, the kindness of strangers is what keeps me going during the walk and what keeps me registering year after year.  I am continually amazed at the number of people who take time out of their day and/or weekend to line the route and cheer the walkers on.  I am so thankful for their support, but I also know that they are most likely there for a reason – they have also, unfortunately, been affected by breast cancer in some way.

I will be walking again next year in the Michigan 3-Day along with my friend Sandy.  We will be joined by three others, including Erica, who we met on the walk this year, my brother, and my best friend from grade school who I recently re-connected with after 15 years.  She helped out with my husband’s cheer station and after some convincing on my part as to how easy it is to fund raise for the 3-Day (this is why she had never registered to walk previously), she is on board with us.  So, here’s to the Michigan 2010 Breast Cancer 3-Day and the four wonderful people I’ll be walking with!