I know this is true as I've done the walk twice in years past. First in 2003, then again with Bill in 2004. My neighbor, co-Troop Leader, and dear friend Arlene did the walk this year. Four weeks prior, our Girl Scout Troop hosted our own "walk," at a Saturday Brownie encampment. Arlene and the girls, unbeknownst to me, created the theme "Walking for H.O.P.E." as the activity we would lead that day. The girls write the below.
Health ... Walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other killer diseases. Increase your heart rate by walking regularly for 20 or more minutes seversal times a week and you'll do wonders for your heart's health.
Opportunity is a chance you have. Everyday we are given the opportunity to live. We should live our life to the fullest by making the most of each day with people we love and care about.
Page. We are doing this walk for someone very special. She started our Girl Scout roop 5902. Her name is Mrs. Page. She takes our troop on outings and helps us be good citizens for our community. We thank her for bringing our troop together and everything that she does for us.
Energy. It's not so much the energy that you have, but the energy you give off. Making people aware is simply giving off energy. There are all types of energy, like health energy, or simply being positive about your health, and possibly your cancer. Energy is passed on from person to person, bringing awareness for the cure.
With the Girl Scouts we took groups of girls on a short, 1/2 mile walk. Each then traced their footprint and wrote a message on it. Those footprints were then put on a poster. It was very moving and inspirational.
As we've done every year since 2004, the troop goes out and cheers on the real walkers. This year and last we were able to cheer for one of our own, Miss Arlene. We all had shirts made with the H.O.P.E. story on the back.
The girls made posters, and pins (safety pins with pink and crystal beads, plus a pink ribbon charm) to give away. We also blew bubbles ... "Bubbles for Boobies" was the mantra. It was such fun to see how much the walkers appreciated the girls' efforts, and the fact that we were out there cheering them on. It also had an even more special meaning for the girls, as they are all aware of my own battle.
At one point, a family walked by and they were all wearing the Stand Up to Cancer T-shirts (you may have seen the television fundraiser). I was so inspired by that event that I said"Love your shirts, where'd you get them?"
"Online," was the reply. Then a woman, probably ten years older than me, wearing a "Survivor" shirt, stopped and looked at me. She studied my bright pink bandana, wrapped pirate-style around my head. "Are you a survivor?" she said (because from the day of diagnosis we're all called survivors ... love that!).
"Yes," I replied. "Going through chemo right now." She called to her son, who was in front of her. He came back, and as he opened his fanny pack to retrieve something, the mother said "I've been looking for you for two days. I have something for you. Last year someone gave one to me and I wanted to do the same." With that her son pulled out a T-shirt. Yellow, with the word Survivor emblazoned in red across the front. It was one of the Stand Up to Cancer shirts that the celebrities wore on TV.
At that point, I had to fulfill my urge to hug her, her son, her daughter, and anyone else who would have one. I will save that T-shirt forever. What a testament to the amazing sisterhood that is breast cancer. Actually, strike that, as it's not just a sisterhood. When my family and I returned to cheer the walkers on and walk the last mile with Arlene on Sunday, as we were cheering a very large man in a bright pink shirt with a bright pink hat on also noticed my telltale bandana. "Survivor?" he said?
"Yep, and proud" I replied. At that point he left the stream of walkers, ran over to me, and gave me a giant, loving bear hug. "I'm getting ready to go through it myself," he said, tearfully. Oh yeah, I thought. This is not just a woman's disease.
This year's walk included more than 4,000walkers, each of whom was required to raise a minimum of $2,200. The simple math equates to a minimum of $8 million raised by this race alone. Factor in that this is one of 14 walks this year alone and you've got more than $100 million, all for breast cancer research.
As a benefactor of that research, I am thankful. Having just lost my mother to lung cancer, a woefully underfunded and far more deadly disease, I am envious. In both cases I have, and will always have, hope.
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