Why.Walk

A story from the 3-Day Message Boards:

"I ran into a woman at the ice arena while my daughter was skating and her son was at hockey camp who was going out for a ‘training walk’ while she waited. I had my shoes with me and asked to join. She hadn't raised her minimum dollar amount yet for the 3-Day and was far from the $2,000 min and only has 6 weeks to raise the money. I recommended she wrote a letter/e-mail asking for donations saying why she walked. She was just walking for the challenge of the walk, so I said, 'You can write this in your letter:

'Today I met a woman who was walking her second 3-day and she joined me for a training walk while I was waiting for my son to finish his hockey camp. She seemed strong and walked quickly and with determination. And we talked. She is walking the 3-day again to raise money and awareness so a cure can be found so her daughter, her sisters, her granddaughters don’t have to go through what she went through. I had no idea she was a breast cancer survivor. She is walking so her husband, son, grandsons don’t have to again witness the metamorphosis of a cancer patient. She was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and even though it was early and her prognosis is good, she still had to have a lumpectomy, a full lymph node dissection, chemotherapy and radiation. She lost all of her hair; She lost her ability to feel under her arm pit; she has chronic pain in her shoulder and has lost mobility in her arm. She was violently ill from the treatment and she is scarred physically and emotionally and yet outwardly, you would never know it. She has the constant fear that the cancer will come back, but her children don’t know that. It is her secret to keep.

So, she walks. Walks to find a cure so that no one has to experience the effects of breast cancer. Walks to find better therapies so while finding a cure, those being treated can feel better, look better, be better. Walks to find peace and hope and happiness. And I will walk with her and many like her along side and heart-to-heart and need you to help me raise the money so I may have that honor.

After that, nothing was said for what seemed to be forever. I then broke the silence and said, 'You are no longer walking for just the challenge. Just ask for the money.'"