My mother died of cancer more than 10 years ago at the age of 68, so like just about every American family ours has been touched by the disease.  A colleague from work is participating in an upcoming 3-Day walk to raise money to fight breast cancer.  I’m posting her most recent email on the topic to encourage you to donate…but also to encourage you to take a look at her blog from last year’s walk, which is a joy to read.  Click on her personal page and read Dolores’ stories from the Boston walk (begin at the bottom and work up).

More to come…

DJB

I write this email tired but happy — I actually trained today!Yes, that’s right, I’m back in training for the Breast Cancer 3-day to raise money for Komen for the Cure. Some of you saw my email of about a month ago announcing my 3-Day redux. This email is just a short update on how things are going — and oh yeah, a fundraising request of course!As I last reported, I dutifully bought shiny new sneakers, going to a running store in downtown Silver Spring. Decided to spring for the expensive shoes since let’s face it, I’m 50 and these ankles have seen a lot of miles.I was all hepped up to start training and then of course, life got in the way. Before I knew it, I had only a month to train and I figured I’d better get the lead out. So last week I attempted my inaugural "walk home from work" regimen (a lovely 6-mile jaunt up 16th Street). After about a mile, my toes were numb. At 1.5 miles the numbness had subsided, only to be replaced by searing pain. Damn, damn, damn. Will I EVER find a pair of sneakers that fit?I hopped on a handy Metro bus and limped home from the metro station, ready to call it quits. I mean, maybe 50 is just too old, right?But them a funny thing happened. I got an email that someone had made a donation toward my $6,000 goal. And then, I got another one — one that put my fundraising total at $2,217 ($17 more than minimum required to participate in the event.) So much for quitting. Those donations — and some encouragement from Jamie and a colleague at the office — convinced me to give it another go. So today I dug out my OLD sneakers and hit 16th Street one more time. I am proud to report that I more than doubled my first training walk and logged 3.7 miles! But I’m not stopping at 3.7 miles. And I’m certainly not stopping at $2,217 (what kind of a fundraiser would I be if I did that???) Last year, dedicated family, friends and colleagues like you helped me raise $5,400 for the Boston Walk. This year, I’ve set a goal of $6,000 to help fight breast cancer. Won’t you help me meet this ambitious goal by making a donation today? Just follow the link below to visit my personal fundraising page and make a donation. Just in case you missed my account of last year’s walk, follow the link below to visit my personal page, where I tell my story. This event isn’t easy, but I promise you, I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t believe 100% that it was worth every muscle ache (and after today’s walk, that whole "every muscle aching" thing is definitely coming back…) If you have any questions or want to hear more about what I’m doing, I love talking about the event. Thanks for all of your support. I’m incredibly lucky to have people like you in my life! Never give up, never surrender, Dolores P.S. Don’t wait – donate today!Click here to visit my personal page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/WashingtonDCEvent?px=1338211&pg=personal&fr_id=1192&et=w4KgPqvYWoOsoYVxUd9QQw..&s_tafId=6386
	For more information about the Breast Cancer 3-Day, Susan G. Komen for the Cure or the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund, visit http://www.the3day.org/ or call 800.996.3DAY.