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Since that first walk, this effort has become so much more
to me. I formed some of my closest friendships with women I met on that first
walk. I’ve walked next to survivors, women in the middle of their battle, and
husbands who have lost their wives. I’ve heard their stories and that was
enough to keep me going. I’ve also had kids since then, and the thought of my
daughter ever facing breast cancer, or the thought of me facing it while my
children are still young and need me is all I need to keep going.
My first five years, I was glad to say that no one in my
family or circle of friends ever battled breast cancer, and I knocked on wood
every time I thought or said that. Part of me thought if I kept doing this then
my inner circle will be exempt from ever getting breast cancer at all … until
now. Just 24 hours after I signed up for this year’s walk, I found out a cousin
in her early 40s with two children began her battle. Around the same time, a
close friend’s mother, whom I absolutely adore, began her battle. Cancer does
not discriminate.
Because we see so many survivors, we forget that people are
still dying from this disease. Many times it is not detected early enough. I
know most of my readers are moms with young children. It is hard to make time
to get a mammogram. Moms with young kids don’t go to the doctor. I get it. But,
if you are 35—or younger if you have a family history—getting your baseline
should be a priority. I did mine practically the day after I turned 35. I had
1-year-old twins at the time, and my only help was my working husband. You make
time when it is something this important.
Raising money for the cause is important, and $12,000 can do
quite a bit on a local level. But, what I hope to contribute—more than the
donations—is awareness. If 2,000 women and men sporting pink t-shirts, boas,
hats, and other garb, march around a city to remind a handful of women to get
their mammogram, then count me in. And, if writing a blog about breast cancer
awareness for a few hundred followers leads just one of you to get the
mammogram you have been putting off, then it was definitely worth the last 6
years.
I don’t know most of you, but I’m guessing some of you know
someone right now who is battling breast cancer. If you do, please provide that
person’s name in the comments on this page or leave me a message on my Facebook page and I will add him/her to my prayer list, which I will wear pinned to the
back of my shirt throughout the two days. I believe in mass prayer and mass
positive thoughts, and I will be walking with 2,000 people and past supporters
all over the DC area. It’s worth a shot, anyway.
Pink Power!
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