Niagara, ON My journey in the weekend to end breast cancer...

I mentioned on the boards previously that I was trying to raise sponsorship money for the weekend to end breast cancer...

Well, I managed to raise $2,124.60 and over the weekend I walked 60 kilometres with 5,382 other walkers.

As a group we raised 17.2 million dollars, making this the largest single event fundraiser in canadian history.

Imagine seeing 5,382 people united in a cause against breast cancer walking down the sidewalk together. It was quite a sight to see.

Here are some of the pics I've uploaded so far from the weekend...

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At the I love Lucy pit stop on saturday - they had a pit stop or grab & gos every 3-5 km. Pit stops had themes such as "rhythm and boobs" and "I love Lucy". The lucy in this pic is a cancer survivor - you can tell because her lanyard is pink.

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Sunday Morning, geared up & ready to go. We slept in the tents that are in the background... and it was so cold sunday morning! As we were walking out they had bag pipers sending us off. It was awesome.

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2 km from the finish line! I met up with Steff and Bayley who took these pics

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"Pretending" to be tired, but I really didn't have to pretend very hard! My feet were KILLING ME! It's 3 days later and my muscles are still aching and I'm still exhausted.

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However, I was still gonna push myself to the finish line

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The aftermath... matching blisters on each foot. But I got off easy compared to some of the blisters I saw on other people.

I think we did 34 the first day (approx. 21 miles) and 26 the second day (approx. 16 miles). It took me 10 hours the first day and 7.5 hours the 2nd. The last 6 kilometres of day 1 were TORTURE and the last 6 of day 2 were no better...

The support the walkers recieved was incredible. The crew were amazing and kept us in good spirits. When we walked through neighbourhoods people would stand infront of their homes and cheer us on. And the cheering really helped me to keep going. When we got to camp on day 1 there were hot showers available (in these crazy portable transport truck showers), you could book a massage, or get a chiropractor appointment. The tents were all set up for us, and our gear was waiting inside.

Opening and closing ceremonies were very emotional. During closing ceremonies the survivors (some still undergoing treatment) were walking past me and they were grabbing my hand and saying thank you. Most of them were crying and I was too. There was one girl there who looked like she was in her early 20's who was still undergoing treatment and was scheduled for a 2nd mastectomy. Women like her are why I walk. And why I'll be back to do it again next year.

I can't say enough for how awesome and incredible and touching and emotional this experience was. If I was able, I would definitely do 2 in 1 year. There are people who walk in 7 cities across canada in a year (420 km!). I would even love to crew an event. Maybe in 2 years...

If you have an opportunity to do a 3-day, I strongly recommend you do. Don't be intimidated by the $2000 minimum in donations. If I can do it, so can you.

I will keep walking until I don't have to walk anymore. We don't just want to end breast cancer we want to make it sorry it ever messed with our friends and family. I hope some of you can support me in this fight next year.

ETA:

Here's an approximation of the route we took:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=432011

It's not perfect (you'll notice it's missing a few kilometres), but it's close. Some one wrote down all the street names we were on then mapped it out.

 

WAY TO GO!!!!

 

Awesome job! My mother in law was just diagnosed with breast cancer. We'll be walking here for her in October.

 

I'm sorry to hear that... Since I started this journey I've heard so many personal stories and I'm continually surprised at how many people breast cancer has personally touched. I think a lot of people don't realize how widespread this awful disease is...

I hope that your MIL will be ok and that one day we no longer have to walk.