April 23, 2017 

I’m 10 weeks out from my 3rd Avon 39 Walk to End Breast Cancer.   Before asking you to consider a donation, I want to share with you why I walk.

If you spent a few moments thinking about it, you are probably like me and can count at least 10 women that you know and love that have/or have had breast cancer.  Everywhere that we all go, there is a friend, a co-worker, a sister, an in-law, mother, daughter, aunt, grandmother and a family that have been touch by this cancer.

Some of these woman are unafraid to share their story while others battle quietly - just hoping to get through to the end.  The good news is that with education, early detection and treatment, breast cancer deaths have stabilized. Still, over 200,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year.   

Last year I completed my 2nd walk with my dear friends Nancy and Kathleen.  My sore feet and achy muscles screamed for a break and the 3 of us decided to hang up the shoes and give all of our generous sponsors a break.  Then, Kathleen got the news as part of a routine mammogram, that she had non-invasive breast cancer as well as BRIP1 gene, a marker for ovarian cancer.  So here I am again.  Walking with two survivors.  Two sisters.  Two strong women.

While walking through Chinatown last year, I struck up a conversation with a husband and wife from the Bay Area.  They’ve been walk together for 8 years because the funds raised by Avon provide grants to the clinic where she received her treatment.  I trudged up one of San Francisco’s hills with a another women who walks in both Santa Barbara and San Francisco.  She does it because she’s a nurse and a survivor and because she’s seen Avon’s grants to local research facilities benefit her community.  

I admit that I walk for somewhat selfish reasons - the people that walk and cheer and donate money and time to this Walk inspire me to be stronger, better and kinder. I walk because the money raised helps to educate and provide preventative support as well as treatment for those in need.  I walk because I am healthy and I walk because I can.

Thank you for your very generous support with my previous 2 walks.  With your help I have raised over $18,000.  I'm hoping to hit $25,000 this year.

With love and thanks, 

Theresa