Walking More Than Pink

May 6, 2017.  Triangle Race for the Cure. 

​8000 walkers, runners, and volunteers converged to support each other and raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Some survivors of breast cancer, some friends and family who have been touched by breast cancer, some who simply wanted to help in any way they could.

​I was prepared for the 5K walk. 
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My husband John and I had actually "trained" for the walk for several weeks by walking regularly and getting our mileage up to close to the 3 miles we would need to do for the walk.  As an aside, as a not-so-long-ago long-distance bicyclist, I thought it was pretty sad that I needed to train to be able to walk 3 miles, but walking is harder that I thought it would be.

I was NOT prepared  for many things that I saw and felt that day.

​The crowd was huge.  And we saw people of all possible descriptions, young and old, male and female, big and little.  It was a virtual sea of pink.  Pink is beautiful!  Crazy costumes were everywhere - most notably men and women sporting pink tutus, layers of Hawaiian leis or humorous or inspirational t-shirts.  Breast cancer survivors proudly wore pink t-shirts.
 
I was there with my husband and fellow members of my weaving study group, The Warpsters - Janice Kohl, Charlotte Carroll, and Sharon Grubb.  Other Warpsters were there in spirit but could not join us that day. We met Janice's sister, Pam Kohl, for whom we were walking at the Pam's Parade tent.  And we were joined there by two more of Janice's friends, Barbara and Alan.

The Warpsters study Group, wearing our handwoven scarves

tutus :-)

Charlotte

Janice and Sharon

John and Oswald

Charlotte, Pattie, and Sharon

I was NOT prepared for how emotional the whole day would be.
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Survivor procession

There were tears during the survivor ceremony.  The breast cancer survivors walked together in a procession down to the stage, lead by those who had survived for 1-4 years, followed by those who had survived for 5-9 years, followed by the 10-14 year survivors, and so forth.  At the end of the parade were the Multiple Survivors, the Forever Fighters and the 25-29 Year survivors.  I think every one of them had smiles on their faces. Those of us watching them had a harder time controlling our emotions.

​Janice Kohl who walked with us said "​My sister Pam Kohl is the woman on the right. It was a very emotional day today to see her walking in the survivor ceremony with the Forever Fighters."
 

Pam Kohl, on the far right

​Pam Kohl says "The second time is so much harder. It shakes you to the core in many ways because now suddenly you know in a whole new way that this maybe was not just one small detour…that maybe it has become a road with unknown minefields and that is very scary. You begin to lose trust in your own body. It sometimes feels like it is fighting me, and I wonder what it is I am supposed to be learning from all of this. One thing is for sure, cancer is very, very smart, and it is very personal in that it works differently in different people. It takes a truckload of strategies to find the ones that will work for you

I was NOT prepared for the walk.
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We had a blast!  And we were thankful that it was very cool. But it was hard work.  I was surprised that we actually walked about 10K that day  by the time we got to the start of the walk, walked the 5K, and got back to the car after the walk, because well it added up.  I wouldn't have had it any other way.  Let's just say I had a very nice nap when I got home that afternoon.

At the halfway point in the walk: Alan, Barbara, Pattie, John, Janice, Charlotte, Sharon (and of course flamingos Oswald and Esmerelda)

Barbara, Janice , and Sharon just off screen

The crowd en route

Our team raised a lot of money for Pam's Parade and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and I think we would all do it again in a second.  

​It is not too late to make a donation.  So far $800,000 of their $1 million  goal has been raised. Fundraising will continue through early June, 2017.  To donate now, just click on this link http://www.info-komen.org/site/TR?fr_id=6796&pg=team&team_id=376896.  Thank you!

​-- Pattie Lamb