« 60 Miles or BUST! It’s finally here! | Home | Happy Birthday, Nikki (and other ramblings)! »
We Made It!
By Laurie | November 11, 2008
Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that Nikki and I successfully completed our first Breast Cancer 3-Day! It was a fabulous experience, and best of all we raised over $6000 that will be used for breast cancer research and will hopefully help make a cure possible in the near future!
We started off on Friday morning at Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas. If you don’t know, that is where the television show Dallas was filmed. We began with thousands of other walkers and survivors. We made our way that morning through downtown Plano where shop owners stood outside and greeted us. We also passed an amazing Cheering Station on 15th Street near my workplace and up Alma and down Renner Road to a park in Richardson where we had lunch. We continued walking toward Carrollton where we saw David and Craig at another Cheering Station only a few miles from camp. That was all the motivation we needed to keep on going! We talked with new people along the way, and made a few stops too. We made it into camp as it was getting dark, and we pitched my very first tent.
Camping really wasn’t as bad as I thought, even though it was a chilly 40 degrees the first night. We had a late dinner, and also got foot massages and waved to David and Craig from the camp webcam before going to sleep in our cozy two person tent.
On the second day, we left camp and walked up Midway toward Plano near Prestonwood church and David’s job. We saw the guys, Brownie, and Nikki’s mom and children at another amazing cheering station. Throughout the route there is the opportunity to take vans and buses to the next pit stop or camp, but knowing that we had family and friends waiting for us kept us walking in their direction. The people there were so supportive, and constantly thanked us for walking. There was a big party at camp that night, with an American Idol style singing contest and even a dance party. I wrote post cards to donors and those who wrote me a letter that I received at camp. When we woke up the next morning, we packed our bags and took our tent down.
On the third day we walked from camp through Addison past Nikki’s workplace and toward my favorite part of town. We were really struggling to continue on, but walked side-by-side with a woman from the Austin area who is currently going through chemo. We talked to her about her life and her experience with cancer, her children, her family and her fears. It really made me realize why we were making the journey.
We continued walking at our own pace (it was a lot easier than the first few days where people seemed to race past us), though we had some pretty bad blisters and knee problems. We were determined to walk as much of it as we could. For the sake of time, we rode a few sweep vans a few miles to buy us some extra walking time before the pit stops closed. That bought us extra time to complete the majority of the route. If you don’t make it by the time they close, they bus you to lunch or to the very end. We were among the last walkers to come through the cheering station on this day, and were touched (i.e. cried) that people were still waiting to clap, cheer, and tell us thank-you. It was very emotional.
We also had to stop at the medical tent at lunch in order to get my blisters patched up and Nikki’s knee wrapped. We walked that afternoon into SMU hand and hand toward the holding area with hundreds of other walkers not long before closing ceremonies began. We felt incredibly accomplished and happy that we walked (what we estimate to be 50 of the 60 miles) together every step of the way. We cried for our loved ones lost, for others who are going through cancer now, and happy that we made it through the journey still standing.
Closing was also emotional as we remembered those who were lost, and as we celebrated those who are surviving breast cancer. We were all given white t-shirts, and thousands of us walked arm and arm into the campus. We cried, hugged and met up with our families for more hugs and tears.
We look forward to participating in the event in coming years, and thank everyone who supported us with their kind words and donations. It has been an amazing experience.
Topics: 3 Day | 13 Comments »
I am very, very proud to call you my sister-in-law and so thankful for what you did in raising money for breast cancer research!
When I look at my 3 little girls, I hope and pray that I will be there to watch them grow up and have babies of their own some day. I hope that they won’t have to lose their Mom to this awful disease.
I sincerely hope that you and I (and everyone else for that matter!) will never receive a diagnosis of breast cancer, but I am so glad to know that organizations like this one are working so hard to find the best treatments and eventually…the cure.
Thanks to you and so many others who have walked this walk, there just might be a cure in our lifetimes!
I love you Laurie…and I am so proud of you!
Posted by: ElisabethThank you!
Elisabeth
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I love the pics!!!!! =) Yall did such a GREAT job!!!!!!
I love the story about the lady that is going through Chemo that yall walked and talked with!!!! Very SWEET!!!
=)
Jeannies last blog post..What do you think?
Posted by: JeannieIt makes me want to come up to Dallas and do it with yall next year!!!!!
Jeannies last blog post..What do you think?
Posted by: JeannieWoo hoo! You gals did it! What a wonderful thing you have done.
Karens last blog post..Promoting Your Blog
Posted by: KarenExcuse me, do you have a tattoo on your toe??
corrins last blog post..Dunkin’ Keeps Me Blogging
Posted by: corrinGreat pics & Awesome summary of an amazing weekend. I loved every single one of those 60 miles and hope to be back next year. I working on a music/photo video and hope to get it posted by Monday. I’ll check back with you for more cool pics and keep recuperating!
Posted by: Lori @ Front Porch LegacyThank you Elisabeth! It means a lot that you were so supportive of my experience. The only way it could have been better is if you could have been here. Let me know if you ever want to come up one year and participate. I would love to experience it with you!
Posted by: LaurieJeannie- It was awesome! We really enjoyed talking to that lady, and it made the time go by so fast because we were getting to know her. If you ever want to come up here and do it, I would love to walk with you too. I was considering going to Houston for the Avon event some year, so perhaps we could meet up there too!
Posted by: LaurieThank you, Karen! We feel awesome and so accomplished. It is hard to imagine not being part of the event in future years after realizing how uplifting and wonderful the people involved are.
Posted by: LaurieGood eye, Corrin! That is actually a tattoo on NIKKI’S toe! Had a heart attack, didn’t you? haha I don’t think I have the guts to get one anywhere, but my toe would probably be one of the last places I’d choose. I just can’t think of anything I’d want inked on my body forever. Most people I know who have them, regret them or how they look now. I’m think I’m fine without one!
Posted by: LaurieI can’t wait to see your video and photos, Lori! If I am unable to walk next year (my teammate Nikki is getting married around the same time and I am a bridesmaid), I am considering giving back by being on the crew. I hope our paths cross!
Posted by: LaurieWOW! You two are fabulous, what an experience! You definitely deserve to get out and relax, maybe even buy some new shoes! What a great thing you both have done and what an accomplishment. It’s not only amazing to have walked the miles you walked, but to have raised the amount of money you did is wonderful.
Thank you for putting yourselves out there and working so hard for a great cause.
Lynnes last blog post..Computer Addiction – In Need of Rehab Center
Posted by: Lynne[...] poke around. If you’re new or have been lurking, check out my About Me section. Read about my 2008 Breast Cancer 3-Day journey, and if you’re inspired or so inclined please consider making a $10 donation to my 2009 Race [...]
Posted by: It’s my Blogoversary/Giveaway! at La Vie de Laurie on February 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm