Walking

A dear friend of mine has walked in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for a few years running now. She has raised thousands of dollars to support research and access to care for those who need it. And she has logged hundreds of miles to honor those of us fighting this disease.

At some point after my clear PET scan last December, I floated the idea of joining my friend and her team for this year's walk in Santa Barbara. A couple of months ago, I took the plunge and signed up, committing to raise at least $1,800 and walking more than 39 miles over two days the weekend of September 22nd. I got my t-shirt in the mail that says: I AM POWERFUL BOLD PASSIONATE UNSTOPPABLE. Then I got news of my recurrence, realized I'd be on chemo again, and called the folks at Avon to tell them I probably wouldn't be able to participate, although I did wear that t-shirt to my first treatment on this new course of chemo.

But the decision not to walk wasn't sitting right with me. I felt like somehow, if I didn't go through with it, it would be as if I was giving up on my fight altogether. So I sent my friend an email and asked if there was still space on her team. She responded immediately that she'd be honored to have me there with them.

I have less than six weeks to go until this walk, during which I'll have two more rounds of chemo. So I have no idea whether I'll be able to complete all 39 miles, but the good people at Avon have assured me they'll have shuttles available for people who are struggling and medical personnel on hand if anything goes awry. With that safety net in place, and approval from my oncologist to participate, I decided I have to do this.

Here's a link to my participant page, if you'd like to donate to my efforts. I might be crazy, but if stubbornness and determination have anything to do with beating cancer a second time, then I've got this in the bag. As always, thank you all for your continued love and support as I "Wage War on Stage Four," to quote another t-shirt.