I HATE BREAST CANCER!

This is me... and my very best Girl friend Kelli. Kelli doesn't have a family member who has had breast cancer but she has had close calls in her family with BC and too many who have lost their battle with Cancer itself, whatever its form. I am so thankful to have her walking next me. I am blessed she is in my life. But my post today is not about Kelli its about "Me HATING BREAST CANCER!

Did you hear me? Damn... I see it everywhere. Pink ribbons signifying that someone we love is fighting or can't fight any more or has lost their battle .... I hate it. some of these women (and men) are parents of small kids, are parents of adults who don't know what to do or say to make it better, are sisters, husbands,mothers, daughters and friends who wish they had words and actions to take away the pain, the chemo side effects, the radiation burns and tattoos you can't even put a cute tattoo over to hide. Damn I hate Breast Cancer.

I love pink too and that makes me mad... it symbolizes something that hurt my family, but it also brought them close together. So pink isn't so bad I guess. As long as its purpose is to educate and bring awareness to helping women who need diagnostic and treatment services even if they can't afford it or have no insurance. or to finding a cure, finding one soon so our walks across the US, and the world, will be a memory instead of a planned event (or three or nine)each year.

I walk because it started out that I was walking for MIL's honor and Pinhead's (that is a nickname) memory but it became so much more. I found friends, I got to walk with my mom and my best friend last year. I got to train and raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer and the services we provide. I give people the chance to talk about something that no one would talk about 20 years ago and I am so proud to be a part of it.

I have walked over 90 miles as my REWARD for believing in this charity, this cause and the people I have grown to know and love over the last 4 years. My MIL is a survivor and I am proud to be her DIL.

It gave me the courage to walk out that door and talk about something that still far too many people are afraid to. It gave me the courage to keep walking knowing that from the moment she found that lump she didn't know what was around each corner or how high a hill she would have to climb that day (metaphorically of course). That kept me walking.

This weekend I walked nearly 40 miles for EVERYONE with Breast cancer, for me, for you, for our tata's and for anyone with cancer at all. I walked with hopes and prayers for a cancer free tomorrow. I walked hoping that finding a cure for BC is finding a cure for all cancers...I walked because I can't walk away. I walked because little girls should wear pink ribbons in their hair not on their shirts. I walked because I made a difference and I will keep walking until I can't or until there is no more reason to.

P.S.
#1 Thank you SF for hosting us and being a great city to walk in! Even if we couldn't see the GGBridge. Thank GOD for SJ police bike crew.
#2 Thank you to our Army Soldiers who held a walk in solidarity in Iraq for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. You ROCK! cancer does not descriminate. It changes, manupulates and takes the lives of those we love even if they are over there preserving our freedom and we are over here waiting and praying for them to come home. Keep them in your prayers. I will be going to purchase a yellow ribbon for my tree for reasons I will post in the near future. Pink ribbons suck almost as much as putting a yellow ribbon on my tree.