The Breast Cancer 3 Day
By Samantha Resnick (8 yrs. old)
The breast cancer 3-day walk is where men and women are
sponsored to walk for three days. This year those three days are
October 6th, 7th and 8th. This will be held in Philadelphia. My mom
has raised $3075.00. To sponsor her, I have raised $35.85 by
selling pictures. The men and women walk and then at night they
sleep in blue tents outside and then they keep walking in the
morning. My mom works very hard to walk for so long each day. The
walkers have to walk for twenty miles a day. Nurses and blister
care are provided. Since there are so many people doing the walk,
there could be hundreds of teams. My mom has fourteen people on her
team. She is friends with ALL of them. My mom's team is called
"Committed To A Cure". Some of the people crew like my Nana and my
Aunt Lori. The crew is a group of people that support the walkers.
Some crew members walk and some ride in a truck. My whole family is
wishing a lot of good luck to my mom. Together we can make a
difference.
My Breast
Cancer 3 Day Journeys
By Lori Adelfio
2004
SO, I read and I read and I visited
The Susan G. Komen Foundation web site on many many occasions. I
noticed something called The Breast Cancer 3 Day. I emailed to get
some information about the event. As I thought about it I said to
myself, "I could do 20 miles a day; piece of cake, right?" A nice
young woman, Kristen, called a few weeks later to ask if I had
received the information. I told her I had and that I was really
interested in signing up. So I registered right there on the spot.
I wanted to do something bold to help find a cure and I thought
walking 60 miles in three days was pretty bold! I registered not
knowing if I was going to be doing this alone or with anyone. She
asked why I was doing the walk and I told her my sister's story.
She asked if there was a possibility that my sister would want to
participate as well. Not wanting to speak for my sister, I
explained that I wasn't sure if she felt she could do it because
she was under chemotherapy treatment. Kristen asked if she should
call Christine and I replied, "Sure! Why not?!?" I gave her my
sister's phone number and ended the call. A few hours later, I
returned home to a message on my answering machine from my sister
that said, "What have you done? I am going to KILL you."in a tone
too cool not to make me a little bit frightened by any
repercussions! To make a longer story somewhat shorter, she
registered. Then my friend Michele registered. Then my mother
registered. Before I knew it, Team Committed To A Cure was born! I
was SO excited about doing this event. Not only because I was
challenging myself to do something so monumental, but because I was
doing it with my sister, my mother and my best friend. I
fundraised, I trained and as time passed I started to become
nervous about the unknown. I had never attempted to push myself
this far before. Would I be able to make it? Walking among the many
during those three days and sharing stories about why we were all
doing this event made me feel a part of something big. I felt
almost invincible. The second day was the hardest. We walked over a
few bridges through the various boroughs of New York toward Staten
Island, made it to camp at Miller Field in the middle of Staten
Island. All and all I could do was cry because I barely made it
through another day. The third day was not as long, and knowing
that the end was near, it helped to drive me to the finish. We
walked along the streets with people cheering us, thanking us for
walking and telling us that we could make it. As we walked into
Liberty State Park in New Jersey and crossed the finish line, I
completely broke down. I was sobbing so hard because I felt as
though I accomplished the most amazing challenge. I was tired, my
feet ached, my calves ached, but I walked into a line of crew
members cheering me in to the finish and it was the most beautiful
"Welcome Home" I had ever received. For as many 3 Day events as I
will participate in, I will never forget what I felt on my first 3
Day.
2005
Registering for
the 2005 event was somewhat daunting. Although the 2004 walk was
the most exhilarating experience, I wasn't sure that I could commit
to the training I needed to complete and the funds I needed to
raise. I didn't want to miss out on the 2005 event, so I decided to
crew. I remembered just how important the crew was to me as a
walker in 2004 and I vowed to help the walkers in 2005 make it to
the finish. My friend Michele crewed with me out on the route at a
"Pit Stop", my mother crewed the Walker Welcome and Check In area
as she did in 2004 and my sister decided to take on the challenge
once again to walk 60+ miles. This time however, she walked with
friends from her neighborhood and friends we met on the 2004 event.
Our team Committed To A Cure grew from 4 people to 12 people! 9
walkers and 3 crew members. My friend Michele and I were assigned
to a Pit Stop. There are several pit stops along the walking route,
in addition to lunch stop, to ensure that the walkers get hydration
and snacks needed to sustain walking such a distances in addition
to any medical attention they may need. Our pit stop was themed
after American Bandstand that originated in Philadelphia because
the 2005 was not in New York again, but in Philadelphia! We had
music and costumes for each day and we decorated our pit stop with
musically themed items. Ask anyone who participated in the 2005
event and they'll tell you that the porta-potties at Pit Stop #4
were the best around! All of those things help when you're tired
and weary. Each of us had a designated job at our pit stop. Michele
and I were the Welcoming Committee! We chanted the walkers into our
pit with funny rhymes that made them laugh. Day three was a
culmination of the entire weekend. All of the new friends I made
through out the weekend were huddled together at closing ceremonies
thanking the walkers for walking those great distances. The walkers
were thanking the crew for helping them make their journey safely.
My sister participated in the closing ceremonies in the Survivor
Circle. Watching her come through with her pink shirt on holding
hands with other survivors was so emotional. The most touching of
all; the walkers took off a shoe and waved it in the air in
celebration of all of the survivors. As they say on The Breast
Cancer 3 Day; "It all starts by tying your
shoes".
2006
As much as I wanted to complete a walk in 2006, I
was unable to commit to training and fundraising. I had many
obligations and goals to try and meet in 2006 for the Committed To
A Cure Foundation started by my sister and I. However, not wanting
to miss the 2006 3 Day experience, I registered to crew again in
the Philadelphia 2006 Breast Cancer 3 Day. I was assigned to
Traffic & Safety this year. The weather was the worst it could
have possibly have been, but our team pulled together and made sure
that walkers and spectators alike were a little bit safer. I was
among the many who shared the same commitment to end breast cancer.
We all shared stories throughout the experience and helped walkers
along the way. I
thank all of you who supported my efforts in the fight against
breast cancer. I walk and crew because I believe in a world without
breast cancer. I crew because I can. I walk because I can't walk
away.
2007
