Hi there.
Now that we’re back in the swing of the 3day, and at least 60% of daily mental energy and conversation is devoted to fundraiser planning, it has occurred to me that I have always intended to write more about it, beyond just constantly urging you to attend our fundraisers. I always recap it right after I return, and at that point I’m too overwhelmed by the whole experience to really describe it. My parents keep complaining about the walking. They think it’s cruel to make us walk 60 miles, after we’ve put a whole year’s work into fundraising for it. The fact we raised $26,000 last year should be enough; why have to walk? Why risk injury? Look what happened to Jane! And Bonnie! And Wendy! Well, you’ll notice that Jane and Wendy are back on the team again this year. Bonnie would be, too, were it not for a schedule conflict. So why do we walk, exactly? I’ve said it before, and I mean it: the 3day is probably the hardest thing you’ll ever do. There’s some aspect of the event that intimidates everyone. You have to ask your friends and family for a lot of money. You have to commit to hours and hours of training over the course of several months. You have to buy expensive gear. You have to take time off work for the event. And, oh yeah, you have to walk sixty miles in three days, sleep in a tent for two nights, shower in a semi truck, and use port-a-potties so often it actually stops bothering you to do so. You’ll probably get blisters, leg cramps, and sunburn. You’ll ache in places you never knew existed. You’ll wake up in the morning and feel like you’ve aged ten years. If you’re like me, you’ll get to mile 38 or so, and you will curse your life, your friends who will be sleeping in their comfy beds that night, and your decision to do this again. You’ll want to sit down and never get back up. It’s hard to remember, in the midst of the soreness and the exhaustion, exactly why you’re there. And yet stopping is incomprehensible. Right about now, you’re probably wondering why anyone would consider signing up for the 3day, and maybe even thinking we’re a little crazy for doing this every year. I believe that there will be a cure for cancer in my lifetime. Not just breast cancer, but all cancer. I believe that our efforts with the 3day will help find that cure. I believe that there will come a point where I will not find myself standing behind a table at another fundraiser somewhere, being approached by a woman with tears in her eyes, who wants to thank me for walking. Because her mother died of breast cancer, her sister is an eight-year survivor, her best friend just started chemo. Every single story is heartbreaking; not just because of the tragedy, but because we can’t do more. We can’t stop people from suffering right now. We can’t help the people we love who already have breast cancer. All we can do is keep walking. If you don’t have a friend or family member with breast cancer right now, consider yourself lucky. At some point, you will. You can sit around and wait for that to happen, or you can do something about it. Register for the 3day. Support our team, or support someone else. Volunteer your time. Attend fundraisers. Spread the word. Every bit of effort helps. If you don’t think that you have the strength or courage or commitment to do the 3day, by the time you cross the finish line, you will. After that, everything else will seem easy. Jenni