(Ugh! I don’t want to slog through all of this to find out if the 2002 Walk was a success. End the suspense right now!)

Wow!

There’s nothing like the sight of 3-Day gear trucks lined up among thousands--THOUSANDS!--of walkers! My doubts about there being enough crew for all the extra walkers was beginning to dissipate. Here was a crew guy offering to help carry duffel bags. There was a crew lady handing out newsletters. Everywhere: CREW! And walkers! And 3-Day spirit and excitement.

A beautiful morning.

Natty and I dropped off our gear and kind of wandered around in a daze trying to take it all in. Even tho it was my third Day 1, it was still overwhelming. I didn’t really get a sense of how many of us there were; in the middle of everything, it just seemed like a lot.

We met some very cool women, including a wonderful mom and daughter team while waiting for Opening Ceremonies to begin. As usual, the music was inspirational--that kind of music that gets in the pit of your stomach and makes it JUMP with excitement. Finally, Opening Ceremonies began:

I am alive.
I am a survivor. I am a walker. I am crew.
I am old. I am young.
I am a woman. I am a man. I am the end of breast cancer.
I am alive.

I am the voice of audacity in the face of apathy.
I am the spirit of bravery in a world of caution.
I am a commitment to action in the face of neutrality.
And I am tired of waiting for others to act.
I am alive.

I am tired of comfort when so many suffer.
I am tired of half measures when so many are taken whole before their time.
I am tired of being patient.
I am tired of being held back from all my magnificence and all my power.
I am alive.

I am not asleep. I am not deceased.
I am not defeated. I am not retreating.
I am the author of my life.
I am the author of tomorrow.
I am the future and...
I am alive.

This morning,
With all my brothers and sisters,
With all our dedication,
In all our mightiness,
I will not be beaten.
To all those who suffer, to all those in pain,
I say that I am here. I am walking. I am for you. I am with you.
And I.
I.
I am alive.

This wonderful speech was given by a four-year survivor who is doing ALL SIXTEEN of the 3-Day Breast Cancer walks this year. Her words reminded us why, in the midst of the excitement, nervousness, and just-waking-upedness, we are doing this. On to Jeff Shuck, v.p. of operations for Pallotta. His speech was also incredibly motivating, telling us that there are no lines, only people. We heard the statistics:

Total number of walkers: 6,237
Total number of courageous survivors: 196
Total men: 324
Total fabulous crew: 600
Youngest crew person: 17 years old
Oldest walkers: 83-years-young
Total number of women named Mary O’Brien on walk: 12.

Total number of dollars raised?????

11.2 million NET!!!!!!

Unfortunately, there were some sad statistics, as well. During the 3 days we walk, 244 women and men will die of breast cancer.

As a living human monument to the memory of those we have lost, and as a tribute to the survivors among us, the Survivor Circle of seven breast cancer survivors made their way from the stage through the middle of the crowd. All 6,237 walkers held hands in silence.

Then...time to start walking! We were fairly close to the stage, so we were among the first group to start out. Crew members held huge colored flags (again with the flags!) to designate which groups could start walking. We walked through the barriers, waving and screaming and high-fiving the walkers who lined each side. WOW! Amazing!! I saw Esther, my mom’s food crew boss from last year AND Jessica, who I have never met but who yelled to me, “Julia! I recognize you from your Web site!!!” Hilarious.

I’m just going to hit the highlights (and very occasional low-lights) of the next 3 days. So much of it is the same as or similar to the previous 2 years: the amazing traffic guards, the bagels and bananas, the Gatorade, the port-o-potties (yes, those two go together). Once again, the crew did a great job with Pit Stops: We had Bootcamp (complete with a M*A*S*H medical area), Angeltown, Grease (Hi, Susi and the Pink Ladies!), The Seventies, Pajama Potty, complete with teen magazine pages pasted on port-o-potty doors, and “Walkopoly” (crew members dressed as the mayor and jailer from Monopoly, a “Water Works” station set up for handing out water, “Pass GO, Collect Food” and so on).

Oh, and I forgot to mention Natty’s and my unofficial Pit Stop in the woods. No waiting!

New food at the Pit Stops! Potato chips! Peanut butter! Animal crackers! Chupa Chup suckers!

Cool, smaller stickers to accomodate smaller walker tags. Fish! Angels! Dogs! Smilies!

“Mikey” signs!

The lines for food and port-o-potties seemed about the same as last 2 years. The longest line we encountered was probably at Pit 2--Pajama Potty, but it was so nice outside we didn’t mind waiting. Natty started a chain massage in line, tho I don’t think the woman in front of me was too impressed. She looked relieved to get away. Behind us, a woman suddenly said, “Oh, I think I just took a nap!” Also overheard: a woman who had a calorie counter said she’d just burned 250 calories. Her friend remarked, “Well, that takes care of that blow-pop.”

Walking, talking, eating, drinking, peeing. We saw Dave, the Angel Biker, and talked with him for a bit. I later found out that his mom had died of breast cancer, and he does his angel gig just to put a smile on the faces of the walkers. Also that heard he’s married and a father. How many men would spend Father’s Day dressed up in a pink tutu and tin-foil halo?!

Even tho we had started out fairly close to the front of the pack, Angel Dave told us we were now closer to the end, that there was maybe a half-mile of walkers behind us. Later, tho, we clocked in at around 3,000.

We got a little rain before and after lunch; luckily it was dry while we ate: veggie wrap for me, chicken salad for Natty B. Also cole slaw, chips, grapes, cookies. Only 7 miles to North Chicago!

Cheering station people: WE LOVE YOU! We had people cheering us in Zion and Waukegan, plus lots of random people along the way. Two cute old ladies rang dinner bells as we passed by. Nice older man: “Welcome to Waukegan!”

Finally got to the famous Pit 4 and saw Susi in action as crew captain of “Grease.” She was yelling into a megaphone, welcoming in walkers, then saw us, and said “Oh, my friends are here!” Good job, Susi! It was great to see her.

We got in to camp around 5. Everything looked exactly the same!!! Except, oh man! Our tent was as far away as possible from shower/dinner area. Oh, well. It’s not like we were going to be making lots of trips back and forth. Our tent hadn’t been set up, but our sweet “neighbors” helped us. Retardedly, I put the canvas on the bottom INSIDE of tent instead of under the tent itself, but I actually think this was a good thing, as later on, it helped keep water from pooling under the tent. Note to self: Next time, don’t cut the plastic for over the tent to 8 x 8. It should be big enough to COVER tent. Still, I was glad we had it. Thanks to Lamb, Little for (unknowingly) supplying the clamps that helped us secure the plastic to the tent. Next step: the air mattress. Yes! It inflated fine, and we decided to put it in sideways so we wouldn’t have to sleep squished together. It started raining as soon as we got set up. Still, we took some time to help our other neighbors, then realized that the rain was soaking through our tent and my sleeping bag and pillow were getting rather wet (Natty’s pillow had gotten mysteriously wet during transport). Ugh. Rather upset about this, but not much we could do.

Packed up our shower gear and made the long trek to the shower/dinner area. COLD! RAIN! WIND! Even tho we felt fine, we decided to eat before showering, since it was kind of crappy. Probably a good call. I saw and spoke with Esther!!! Love her!!! Same Day 1 supper: spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, green beans, cheesecake. Tho we were under a canopy, the wind was cold, and we generally felt pretty yukky. Still, the spirit of the 3-Day shone through. Met some great people while we ate--people who didn’t mind that my salad blew onto their plates or that napkins were flying everywhere. Everyone was cheerful, despite the weather. I was still in my shorts and T-shirt and started wondering if it was such a great idea to be sitting there, freezing to death. Put on my long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants (ie, pajamas) and felt much better. Too cold to stick around for the evening announcements, but I later found out the Top Ten list (compiled by 3-Dayers):

10. Avon products given away make a great last minute present

9. No lines at the showers

8. It’s the only time everyone is thinking about breasts for 3 days

7. You can use Vaseline in public [EW! Editor]

6. You are the only one who knows what the “sinks” are used for in the port-o- potties

5. Everyone is doing groin stretches [again, EW! Editor]

4. Women’s numbers are on their tags

3. Women cannot run away from you (running is grounds for expulsion)

2. It is okay to “Grab N Go”

1. Twenty-to-one ratio of women to men!

OK, here is a typical example of 3-Day coolness. In front of the port-o-potties near (and by “near” I mean “three miles away” from) our tent, a woman plaintively asked if anyone had an air-mattress pump. I do! She and her tentmate walked back to our tent to borrow it. Boy, were they happy. Luckily it worked, and the four of us were able to enjoy inflated comfort. Not all together, of course. However we did continue to encounter these two women throughout the walk.

Our tent was still wet, but luckily no wetter than before. We moved our duffel bags to the sides so our sleeping bags weren’t touching the wet insides of the tent. Used the skanky T-shirt I’d worn all day and my damp camp towel as a barrier against the wet part of my sleeping bag. Even tho it was wet, it felt very cozy to be in the tent while it rained outside. VERY happy to be DONE and all tucked in for the night. Talked to Dave and Mom. Even tho I was tired, I didn’t sleep too well. Natty started snoring gently almost immediately! I was so jealous! Luckily it stopped raining during the night, but the wind was pretty noisy. Got up to make sure our tent was still in one piece. I decided while I was up, I’d better make a port-o-potty trip. I encountered a woman making the same trip and shared my flashlight. She waited for me, and we walked back together. Probably slept from about midnight to 4.

Home	Day 2 2002

 

 

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