The 2000 Team: Annette, Elma, Candus, and Julia (me)
display our 3-Day shirts with pride.

On June 16, 2000, I was privileged to join 3,136 men and women to take steps toward the battle against breast cancer by participating in the 2d Annual Chicago Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk (created and produced by Palotta TeamWorks™). Chicago was one of seven cities taking part in this amazing event: a three-day, 60-mile walk from the Wisconsin border to Montrose Harbor.

But walking 60 miles is just part of it—granted, a big part, but there’s more. First, you pay a $50 registration fee (the fee for 2002 is $75), then you raise $1,800 in pledges (for 2001 and 2002, the minimum amount is $1,900), and then you train. Train? But it’s just walking. Yeah, but it’s a lot of walking. And before you set out on those 60 miles, you have to condition your body; find your weak spots; make sure your shoes provide enough support; figure out what type of clothing is going to be most comfortable; feel what it’s like to walk with a large fanny-pack full of bandaids, sun block, tissues, foot powder, disposable camera, lip balm, towelettes, and water bottle; develop callouses; walk in rain, wind, heat, and humidity; get used to drinking gallons of water while walking; find places you didn’t know could sweat; learn to be a good pedestrian; and just plain walk!

Never mind the physical aspect, finding the time for all the necessary training is a challenge for most people. Luckily I own my own business, so I had the flexibility to train during the week and on weekends. My husband, Dave, has been extremely understanding about how this cuts into my schedule. Did I say never mind the physical aspect? Oops, well, I minded it. Back and feet problems bothered me but fortunately never enough to keep me from training or from the walk. Thank goodness for bubble baths, Advil, foot massages, acupuncture, chiropractors, and heating pads!

I really want to emphasize this: for everything I put into this experience, what I got in return is beyond calculation. It was immensely satisfying to see how far I could push myself during training. I was so touched by all the notes of encouragement I received from donors and the support from family and friends. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something so important and special. As for those 3 days of walking, well, I’d heard beforehand that it is a life-changing experience, and I guess that’s as close as you can get to describing it. Hopefully, I’ve managed to convey something of what it all meant to me on these pages.

    Read about the 2000 walk
    See the 2000 pictures (I’m redoing these; coming soon)

Mom and Julia on their way, 2001.

The 2000 3-Day was so much fun, I decided to do it again in 2001. This year, the walk took place on June 15-17, and followed the same route as last year. I walked with Elma (her third year!), and, once again, we met many wonderful people (Hi, Kristina! Mary! Pam! Roberta and her brother Tim! Jackie! Julie! woman from lunch on Day 2! Sarah and her mom, Mary Ann from Oak Park! our tent neighbors! the woman who had to be forced by the medical team to come in early on Day 2 so she could walk on Day 3! that nurse from Evanston Hospital! Chia-Hair—aka Mickey! the 2 ladies at our hotel who thought my mom was by herself and invited her to dinner! the woman who took my hand as we set off on our Victory Walk!) I also “met” a lot of great people through this Web site (Hi Susi! Tim! Echo! Peggy! Sandy! Kelly! Karen! Elizabeth! Janelle! Marie! Annette! Randi! Heather! Laurie! Ruby! Pam! Claudia! Kim! Marilyn and Jingles!), some of whom I was lucky enough to actually meet on the walk. I also got to share this experience with my wonderful mom, who worked as a volunteer crew member, serving breakfast and dinner.

Both training and fundraising went very well this second year. I did feel a bit hesitant about asking people for money AGAIN, but my wonderful donors came through for me a second time. And, once again, I kept track of my progress in an on-line training journal.

    Read about the 2001 walk
    See the 2001 pictures (I’m redoing these; coming soon)

3-PEAT in 2002!!! Yup, I’m doing it again! I registered on January 16, 2002, after much deliberation. Time constraints, foot problems, and the impact of 9-11 all contributed to my reluctance to commit to a third year. I put off making the decision until after the holidays, hoping for some sort of epiphany that would make the right choice crystal clear. Well, you can’t anticipate an epiphany; it just happens. The more you rely on one to decide your future, the more elusive it is. Finally, I got tired of thinking about it, and decided to at least register before it was too late. I’d still have a month or so until I’d have to send out my pledge letters, plenty of time for an epiphany.

So I pulled up Avon’s online registration form for the 2002 Chicago walk.

“Due to the overwhelming response, the Chicago Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day has reached capacity for…

… general crew member registration.

PHEW! I knew by my response—first panic, regret, disappointment that walker registration was closed, then extreme relief that it wasn’t—that I’d made the right decision. So I guess that was my epiphany.

I have to say, tho, that one of my biggest motivations to signing up again has been all the great e-mails I’ve received from other walkers—most of them first-timers. Hearing from all these brave and determined women has not only inspired me to walk again but has just plain inspired me. So, thank you everyone who has written to me and motivated me to go for a 3-Peat.

Plus, I just really covet that “Number 3” pin you get for participating in 3 events. (kidding!)

OK, seriously, I’m not kidding. I really want that pin. But even more than that, I want to once again take part in an experience that allows me to help others in a significant way, while getting so much back in return. And tho I still have concerns over training, raising money, and all the other “hard stuff” that goes hand-in-hand with the rewards of this event, I know I would miss every single step (excuse the pun) of the journey.

So, life doesn’t always hand us an epiphany. Sometimes the decisions are just plain hard, and we may never know until afterward whether we’ve made the right choice. Having finally made my decision, I can’t wait to find out what lies ahead. I hope you’ll join me.

    Read about the 2002 walk
    See the 2002 pictures (I’m redoing these; coming soon)

  See pictures of the handmade pink ribbon items I’ve sold. Proceeds go entirely toward the 3-Day!

2002 Walk | 2001 Walk | 2000 Walk
I love my donors | I love 3-Day Walkers
Information | E-mail me | 3-Day Home

 

 

This site is owned and maintained by Pro Edit.

 

 

             WebCounter says you are visitor number
              This site was last updated on 2-11-07