Avon Walk 2011 - Chicago

My journey began back in January…

When I decided to participate in my 3^rd Avon Walk for Breast Cancer – this time in Chicago! With two years of success under my belt, the Avon Walk has become more of a “when do I start the next year?” as opposed to “will I do the next year?” I find that only a few months after the previous year is over, I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to sign on new teammates, organize new fundraisers and give my donors the opportunity to make a difference. This year, many past participants were unable to commit to the Walk due to heavy workloads, higher education courses, new children and the distance, which I completely understood. I was happy to have our small team of three – my mother, SherriJoyce King, my sorority sister, Jackie Moriarty, and myself. I knew that these women would push me to be my very best – as a fundraiser, a team captain and a Walker.

Due to the nature of a small team and the fact that only two of us lived near each other, the experience was quite different than years past. We did not gather together for any group fundraisers. We did not hold team meetings at a specific location because email chains seemed to be enough. What we did do was bust our bottoms to individually raise the $1800 required amount and train on our own to Walk the 39.3 miles. I took my usual approach of donation request emails and letters to friends and family – feeling so encouraged when past donors repeated (and sometimes increased) their donation and when new donors took the opportunity to stand in the fight against breast cancer. 

Every year the Avon Walk offers “incentives” to fund-raise your heart out – this year it was a Fabulous Fundraiser hat if you raised at least $2200, a Super Fabulous Fundraiser long sleeve shirt if you raised at least $3800, and an Avon duffel bag if you raised at least $5000. It was my goal to reach the 2^nd tier of fabulosity and one week before the Walk, I was at $3680. Thanks to a generous and unexpected last minute donation of $120, I am proud to say my goal was met and I received both the hat and the long sleeve shirt.

On that note, I’d like to take this time to thank my incredible donors:

·         Richard & Terry Abrams… Estelle Kluft… Tony Weeg… Alan Tupek… Chelsea Bowers… Becky Christie… Hussein Amin… Lou King & Harriet Langlois… Jaime Neaman… Joe & Mary Cowden… Phillip McKee… Normal Wallis… Marj & Jerry Sparer… Anna DeLuca… Lauren Summers… David & Rita Sandler… Rebecca & Mike Frank… Frank & Pat Duchesne… Linda August… Sandra  Julian Schraibman… Rebecca Halperin… David Eisenberg… Howard Rudnick… Rebecca & Dick King… Vilma Castro… George Goldstone… Katie Kirstein… Alan Roecklein… Hugh Mealy… Tim Kimmel… William Bracken… Angella Rogers… John & Kathryn Wenzel… Diane & Fred Tamayo… Mike & Chris Wenzel… Donald Roberts… Jackie & Sam Cowden… Amr Pertew… Ann Senger… Cecil Mallon… Stuart & Michele Johnson… Erin Patterson… Tiffany Miles… Sarita Eisenberg & Lou Hammerman… Allan Newstadt… Katie Abner… Juliya & Leon Sheynman… Scott & Jenny Midgley… Nikkee Porcaro… Leonard & Carol Eisenberg… Pamela & Rich Finstein… Gayle McClelland… Edith Johnson… Franklin Davis… Jennifer & Jon Seidman… Karen & Michael Patterson… Monica Tarzy… Steffi Wallis… Carolyn White… Inbar Pavon… Pat Lefevre… Rich & Lauren Kimmel… Peter Adams… Melinda Greenberg… Sharon King… Corrie Roberts… Christine Postek… Shelly Postek… Maggie Amin… Philip Price… Courtney Simmons… Lindsay Zumbrun… Katie Stephenson… Jessica & Chris Mundey… Trudi & David Bloom!

While fundraising is always such a joy, training did not go quite as planned…

With a new job this Spring that kept me very busy during the day and rather exhausted at night, my energy level to get in the gym was lacking. I can say that there were spurts here and there when I was a dedicated treadmill-goer, but there is no doubt that I could have done better. I suppose I also assumed I’d be fine because I’d been successful in the past (with only minor injuries each time). Regardless, I should have given more time and effort to making sure I’d be healthy for Walk Weekend. *Mental note for next year.

As this Walk was not in D.C., we needed to book flights to our destination and a hotel stay…

Traveling to Chicago would be Jackie & me (leaving from Baltimore) and my parents (leaving from Philadelphia). We booked our flights early enough to get great rates and good seats. The host hotel for Chicago’s Avon Walk reserved a block of rooms at a discounted rate, which was right near the airport and a great location for Friday night’s Event Eve.

After months of preparation, Walk Weekend had finally arrived…

Jackie and I got on the smallest plane we’d ever seen and flew the two hours to Chicago, arriving at the same time as my parents. After settling in to our hotel rooms, we grabbed lunch and scurried to Event Eve. Let me explain the purpose of Event Eve: complete your medical form, receive your tenting assignment, turn in any last minute donations, purchase goodies from the Avon store, visit the booths of the weekend’s sponsors, register for next year’s walk, receive top fundraiser incentives, and meet other Walkers and Crew members with whom you’ll share the journey. I absolutely love Event Eve. It’s not about the fundraising incentives; it’s not about all the pink goodies; it’s not about completing a task necessary for the weekend. It’s about the hope and love in the air; it’s about a community of thousands coming together for one important cause; it’s about the start of a journey never to be forgotten and always to be cherished. It says we are here and ready to stand together in the fight against breast cancer.

The next morning was an early wake-up…

4:30 a.m. came sooner than we expected, so we took quick showers, got our gear together, said goodbye to my father and loaded the shuttle to Opening Ceremonies. Immediately I started snapping pictures! So many clever shirts, so many teams, so much pink, so many hugs, so much energy! We each grabbed a bagel with cream cheese and filled our Camelbaks with water; we put Glide all over our feet (to stop blisters from friction) and waited for Opening Ceremonies to begin. The director of the Avon Walk and a few other speakers welcomed all 3,000+ Walkers and Crew with stories of bravery, heartache and determination. We were so pumped with emotion when they said “GO” at 7:00 a.m. sharp - we were ready to take the journey by storm! The first mile passed rather quickly and we came to walk along Lake Michigan for a few beautiful, calming miles before cutting inward to the city.

The route is so well managed every year…

with rest stops every 2.5 miles, directional signage and set cheering stations for family members and friends in the area. Rest stops consist of bathrooms, water and Gatorade fill-up stations, small snacks and medical help. They usually have some sort of theme, like “Mardi Bra” or “Pajama Party,” to keep Walkers entertained as we stop to recuperate. Each rest stop also has a “leave by” time so that Walkers can stay on pace to finish the 26.2 or 13.1 miles that day. (It is important to keep a solid pace each day so that all Walkers are safe in the Wellness Village on Saturday night before sundown, and so that all Walkers have completed the Walk by the time Closing Ceremonies begin on Sunday afternoon. If a Walker is behind pace or feels they can’t go on at that time, there are “sweep vans” which travel up and down the route picking up those who ask.)

The first cheering station was around mile 8…

Papi was there, with our Team Tit-Tastic banner (made by my mother for last year’s Walk) stretched out and a huge smile on his face! We gave kisses and hugs, talked about how the first eight miles had gone, took a few photos, asked what he planned to do for the rest of the day, and went on our way. As we walked the route, Jackie noticed pennies with painted breast cancer ribbons scattered about, so we saved three and I will carry mine with me every year from now on for good luck.

At the 11.7 mile rest stop…

my mother felt that although she had enjoyed and powered through the first part of the day, she needed to call it quits at that point. I was SO proud of her for making the journey thus far, and wished her well on her way to the Wellness Village. Jackie and I continued of course, ready to tackle the 2^nd half of day 1. At mile 16, Jackie’s mom (who was randomly in town visiting a friend) met us and walked a few blocks to make sure we were alright and drinking water / applying sunscreen. We were in fact doing both, so she felt confident sending us on our way! I need to give a shout out to Starbucks who smartly stood outside their store with buckets of ice chips and small cups for passing Walkers. Talk about marketing skills. A few miles later, my father showed up at another cheering station, with the banner held high and the huge smile still plastered to his face. I don’t know what made him more proud – Jackie & I making it 18 miles already or his successful finding of the camera battery charger I’d been looking for for months.

It was around mile 20 that the rain began…

And didn’t stop for about a half hour. Oh wait, did I say rain? I meant thunderstorm. Jackie & I, already feeling the back pain, the hip flexor pain, the tense calf muscles and the swollen feet, now found ourselves racing against time to get our ponchos on and forge ahead for the last six miles. Crew members suggested we get on the buses parked at the nearest rest stop to wait out the thunderstorm, but we felt it would be best to just get the miles done! So we walked the last six miles with soggy feet through neighborhoods of people waiting outside their doors to cheer us on! Even now I can hear them clapping and yelling “almost there!”

Around 6:30 p.m., the light shone through the dark sky and we arrived at the Wellness Village…

The Youth Crew was waiting for us with chants and clapping and words of praise. We took a quick picture then went to the tenting area. (Note to past participants: the tents are now pink!) Usually when Walkers arrive at the Wellness Village, they go to the luggage trucks, grab their bags and tenting supplies, put up their own tents and go on with their evening of dinner and bedtime. Because my mother arrived at the Wellness Village earlier than we did, she arranged for a volunteer to help her put up both tents and put our luggage inside – what a marvelous idea! We quickly head to the showers which were a-ma-zing and then visited the Medical Tent to have the podiatrist take a look at Jackie’s killer blisters. Something you don’t want at the Avon Walk – the doctors to be impressed with your blisters. Poor Jackie. But she handled the situation like a champ and we slowly dragged ourselves to the Dining Tent. On the menu: pasta with sauce, salad, rolls with butter, green beans.

We slurped it all up and then waddled back to our tents to pass out promptly at 9:30 p.m. Before bed I thought it ideal to use the bathroom, and I’m so glad I did! Throughout the Walk, Crew members handed out sashes that said “Every Three Minutes” to represent the fact that Every Three Minutes someone is diagnosed with breast cancer. On my way back to my tent, I was stopped and given one of those sashes along with a big hug. I was overcome with honor and emotion; I couldn’t believe that in just three years of Walking, I had received two sashes (my 1^st in 2009).

At 5:30 a.m. on Sunday the alarm went off and day 2 began…

Jackie checked in with the podiatrist who re-worked her blister bandages while my mother and I packed up the tents. We grabbed a delicious breakfast of eggs, hash browns, sausage and juice and sauntered to the day 2 start line with the rest of the Walkers. Although sore, we knew that day 2 would be only half the distance as day 1 and at a much cooler temperature. Did I mention it was 91* on Saturday? That was fun. As we walked through a park, there were three small children picking flowers and handing them to Walkers as we passed by. I thought this was so very simple and so very sweet; I kept the flower tucked in my bracelet for the rest of the day.

I have not yet shared the glory of the crossing guards…

These men and women were hardcore, kind, full of tattoos and some of our biggest cheerleaders throughout the Walk. They wore bright orange of course, and decorated their Harley motorcycles with as much pink as possible. Some of these biker crossing guards were doing their 3^rd, 5^th and even 8^th Avon Walks, showing just as much dedication to the cause as us Walkers. I later found out that two of the biker women were breast cancer survivors.

My father met up with us once again at the mile 8 cheering station…

And true to form, as a superior supporter, he walked the last 5.1 miles with us! After a little while, we caught up to these two women, one of whom wore an ipod speaker blasting dance tunes. Jackie and I were thrilled and picked up our second wind for the day with ease. You know what else was helpful for the last few weekend miles? The EMT van, pulling a sort of hitched platform with two tall blonde men on top wearing pink shirts, pink pants and sunglasses – blasting summer hit songs and dancing their tails off! Every time we saw them, we couldn’t help but scream in their direction and smile from ear to ear.

At mile 13, we unrolled the Tit-Tastic banner and held it side by side walking the last .1 mile through the finish line, holding back tears and reveling in the beauty that is the Avon Walk. We were handed shirts to show completion of the 39.3 miles, put on sandals to relieve our swollen feet, chugged some water and awaited Closing Ceremony.

Closing Ceremony is something never to be taken for granted…

As our team Walked in, surrounded by thousands of other Walkers, I looked around at all the friends and family who came to lend their support and instantly felt a kinship with every one of them. There are no guarantees in the fight against breast cancer except the knowledge that someone else out there knows exactly how you’re feeling – whether you are a survivor, a fighter, a loved one, a doctor or a donor. We are all In It To End It.

Behind the Walkers came the Survivors…

All 254 of them who walked this weekend. Proudly holding their banner and waving their pom-pons in the air, flashing smiles that brought tears to my eyes. These men and women have a strength that comes deep from within, a courage that we can all admire, an outlook on life that we should be so lucky to have and thousands of witnesses who see that They Walk Because They Survived.

I Walk for my Great-Aunt, my Aunt, and my Cousin... all of whom have had breast cancer, one of whom did not survive.

I Walk for the women and men in my life who live every day hoping they will never hear the words, "You have breast cancer."

I Walk for the future... for the children I will bear, for the grandchildren they will bear.

I Walk for myself... to continue a life of kindness, compassion, love and hope!




Click here for the full Avon Walk 2011 - Chicago photo album!