2008 Atlanta 3 Day
~In the Life of a Walker-Take Two~
3,500 Atlanta walkers raised $8.3 Million!
All 14 cities of The 3 Day raise over $110 Million in the fight for a Cure!
Day Before Day One-October 23, 2008
There was no way I was going to be able to concentrate at work, so I left early at 10AM....finished up my packing, and was out the door by noon. I stopped by my dads to drop off my baby girl (jack russell Molly), received some well wishes, decorated my car in Pink writing, and was on my way. The drive started great, but then noticed I had a toll route and no cash. A quick call (well, maybe not so quick) to Paul got me on the right track.
The ride was fairly quick. Maybe it was the excitement, maybe it was the anticipation, maybe it was all the honks, thumbs up, and waves I received as cars drove by!
I reached the hotel with no problems, arriving around 7pm. The gentleman that checked me in was wonderful. I must have gone to him several times with 20 millions questions...all were answered with a smile. He asked which floor I wanted, and I just shrugged my shoulders, saying it didnt matter. I now want to give him a hug for putting us in one of the closest rooms on the first floor!! He also helped in arranging an outside shuttle service for us to Opening Ceremonies in the morning...which ended up being a HUGE help for the entire weekend.
About an hour or so later, a knock on the door was from my new roommates and fellow walkers....Jennifer and Brandy....Jennifer, a survivor, and both first time walkers. I was so excited I could finally share my thoughts, feelings, just excitement in general with someone who actually understood. Dont get me wrong, talking to friends and family is wonderful too. But it is just not the same, as talking with someone that has gone through everything that you have...they have gone through the struggle, the stress, the same journey I did to make it to this wonderful event.
Asleep by 11, up by 4 was too quick.
Day One, October 24, 2008
A shower at 4AM really doesnt wake you up as much as one would hope. Nonetheless, "the day" was here! Day One of the walk! Wow!...was I really ready for this? A quick check of the weather showed 100% chance of rain (I honestly never knew they could predict 100% unless it was a hurricane) and a record breaking low for October in Atlanta at a high of 50 degrees! Great. Now the big debate of what jacket to wear. I borrowed a heavy rain jacket from Corina, but also had a thick vest jacket that would keep my core warm, but wouldnt weigh me down during the walk. I decided to go with the vest, and wear the poncho on top. Boy, did I ever regret that decision later.
We quickly got dressed, and jumped in the car to find some 'breakfast'. Apparently we were in a small town (Alpharetta) and nothing opens at 5am....we ended up stopping at the gas station for Daily's coffee and headed to Walmart for food. Apparently Walmart doesnt open at '5' either...we stood outside in the cold rain til an old man finally made his way to start the day on 'his' time.
A grab of bananas, yogurt, and gloves....great, no cashiers either?? About 10 minutes later a cashier finally comes and we are off.
Ray, the shuttle driver takes us to start. The Opening Ceremonies are outside in the mall parking lot. It is raining, but not heavy. However, the wind blowing makes it twice as cold. We get checked in, and huddle under the 'only' tent/shelter they had. About 100 of us huddle close to each other to block the wind and keep warm. I quick look at the clock--630....an hour and half before the ceremony starts! As more and more people show, we head over to the stage. I quickly learn that 'Dollar Store' ponchos leak....and that the poncho doesnt even cover my arms. I am quickly getting wet. I tell myself it doesnt matter. Once we start walking I will warm up. (Right).
Jillian and the team finally arrive right before the ceremony starts. (I learn later, that late arrival is the 'tradition' of the team). I quickly welcome everyone with huge hugs. I have never met any of them, except Jillian, but I knew we would all be good friends by the end of the walk. I was delighted to see that they had already thought of me as part of the team, by giving me matching bracelet and bandana.
Ceremonies start, and a little disappoint comes over me when I realize the speech is the same as the year before. However, it was still moving, motivating, and important for me to listen. The crowd was getting eager to start moving since it was so cold and rainy. I was disappointed when a gentleman behind me was grumbling, 'hurry up, lets get going.' The speech is for 'us', I thought. Shes not up there doing it for herself. At least give the courtesy to listen.
The group of survivors stepped up onto the raised platform and held hands high. The speaker gave the story of why they walk. One example was someone who just lost her mom 3 days prior and they were supposed to do this walk together. Another of a man who lost his wife. We would learn more stories thoughout the weekend of other walkers. All that keep us motivated to keep moving...to keep fighting...to never give up.
After the traffic cluster getting out of the mall parking lot....we finally start our first few miles. Now that we are out of the 'group huddle' we realize it is a lot colder than thought. The sun is up, and it is now daylight, but there is no warmth coming through those clouds. We make a pit stop after mile one for coffee at Starbucks. Coffee and hot chocolate became our best friend that day.
On the road again, we quickly learn that Altanta is not made for walking. The sidewalks were all tore up...cracks, holes, and now the rain added mud, and puddles. As we walked, the whole group of 3500 was so close, you could not see the ground very well. We would have to yell back "Hole! Puddle! Step!" just so people would not fall.
We quickly came upon hills. Not wanting to hurt myself on the first day, took it easy going down the hills. I kept picturing myself falling. Then someone behind me asked "you know you are walking on your toes?".
Morale lowers as I am still cold, yet we are almost halfway done. I thought I would warm by walking, but I am not. Man, am I kicking myself for not wearing that heavy coat! We get to the pitstop before lunch and they are handing out extra ponchos. I practically ran to her as she yelled "last one". I got it and realized it was a myler blanket. I had heard of them before, but never really knew what it was. I was pleasantly surprised as it quickly warmed me as soon as I wrapped it around me.
My team gave me a new name of "burrito" or "hot dog".
The rain stops a few times...still maybe a light drizzle, but enough for me to bring out the radio. Man, was I glad to have some music! However, I will definately be bringing the IPOD speakers next time instead! Seems Atlanta has a lot more commercials than music!
We get to lunch, and it is still raining. Luckily Marsha found a wooded area for us to sit under. Seems great, until huge drops fall on you...or the uncovered coffee!
We sit on the cold ground and eat. We change our socks, even though we dont know if it is worth it, since our shoes are wet.
Before we hit the road again, "mom" Marsha finds all of us "burrito" blankets! We ever never so happy before! All of us wrap up and start walking again.
It didnt seem like there werent that many cheering places/supporters out. One, it was Friday and I guess people were working, but also because of the rain. The volunteers were great though! They still kept us smiling, and laughing. Their costumes were awesome, and even just the high fives they gave were motivating!
An office building opens up for us around 4pm for 'real' bathrooms and heat. We sit inside in the hall and warm up. Everyone is pretty much in good shape...just getting tired of being wet.
Towards the end there is a big hill going down. I suddenly realize my left knee does not feel right. There is a sharp pain with every step. I start to focus on the pain and almost start to panic. Ive never had knee problems before....what was going on? The team gets spread out a bit, and I have to stop. I almost start crying and give up. We have about a mile left for the day, and I just want to get into that 'sweep van'. We stop for a minute and I go on. One mile, I think. I cant give up with only one mile.
The organizers had already planned to 'relocate' the campers to the last pit stop, which was a huge building where they would camp inside.....me...I would go back to my lovely hotel. I had offered my hotel room for the team several times, but they wanted to stay at camp. Understandable. To each their own. I did it last year, and just knowing me, I would need the heat and bed.
At the last stop, I quickly see a couple of girls waiting for a taxi. I jump in with them to share the cost. The driver takes us to the mall where we started. However, he acted like he did not know where he was going. He even did not have a GPS! What a driver! He even stopped in a shopping center and asked someone where the mall was! Great, I thought....I still needed to get to my hotel, not the mall. The tab ran up to about $30 and I was out of cash at that point. I told him I would need to get to an ATM. The girls, however, saved me, and said they would drive me to my hotel. Thank god!
I wobbled my way back into my room. Shaking so badly from being wet and cold, I quickly take off the wet clothes and jump in the hot shower. I sit in the tub as the hot water comes over me. I fill the tub up and pour in the Epsom salts. One day down, I thought.
I go out to buy a knee brace, Motrin, and dinner. Asleep by 10, 5AM comes awfully early.
Day Two, October 25, 2008
Getting out of bed, my knees are stiff, but feel a little better. I can do this, I think. The weather forcast is calling for warmer, clearer weather...mid 60s and mostly sunny. I am SO happy to hear that! Short sleeve shirt for today!
I get Ray, the shuttle man to drive me to camp for breakfast. Wow, was the wind blowing! I forgot the forcast had also called for 15 mph winds! With the sun not up, my arms were definately chilly! Next year, I will be 'happy' to carry layers!
Camp is at the bottom of this hill. That hill, definately 'woke up' my knee. Sharp pain shooting again. Even with the brace.
I finally make it to the bottom and head straight to the Rememberance Tents. Surprisingly they were not lit up like they were in Tampa. I went inside and signed the Atlanta tent for memaw. I then went to the 'Post office'. Cards from Paul, Lynnie, and Lynnie's mom. I sat down in the heated breakfast tent, with my breakfast, and read the cards. I was absolutely moved that Lynnies mom sent me a card. She is a survivor, and I told Lynnie that I would wear her mom's name on the list of names of 'why I walk'. She wanted to thank me, and I think that is awesome!
Breakfast was great. I waited for my team to be shuttled back to camp (from the relocation spot). Apparently the shuttles were running behind. They missed breakfast. I meet them at the top of the hill. Whoever picked the location at the bottom of the hill, I was cussing their name. My right knee now was hurting, and we havent even started yet!
The day starts off beautifully. The sun was out, it was quickly warming, and you could actually see the beautiful colors of Fall. It put us in better spirits than the day before.
We had to make tradition, and within the first few miles, stopped at Dunken Donuts for coffee.
By lunch time, the Motrin was no longer doing the job it needed to be doing. With the warning of only 6 in a day, I was worried. Me and Jillian were doing our complaining when we were passed by a walker with no hair. Silence came over us. I almost lost my breath as my chest tightened. Here I am complaining about my knee, when I could be going through chemo right now, AND walking 60 miles! Its amazing the strength these women have!
We stopped at a Walgreens and I bought an Ace bandage to wrap my knee. The brace wasnt cutting it. I needed soemthing tight. As soon as we started walking again, I felt great. The tight bandage kept my knee cap from moving around, and I could barely feel it.
I started noticing the amount of walkers that have had mastecomies. I later learned talking with a survivor how older treatments/surgeries made it where they can not have reconstructive surgery. It just makes me proud to be around women who are proud of themselves and their bodies. For the woman who walks without her wig. For the women who dont need a padded bra. Its amazing how much strength they have.
For someone who doesnt have cancer. This walk is a reminder of the struggle breast cancer patients have been through. You have to have patience. YOu have to have determination. You have to have strength. You have to have positive thinking. You have to have motivation within yourself. Most of all, you have to surround yourself with people who support and motivate you. That is what this walk is all about. From the voluteers, to the neighborhood supporters that just come out to applaud and say "thank you." It is a great feeling to be apart of this experience, no matter the pain. No pain from the walk is as bad as the pain of having cancer!
At lunch, Kelly tells us of a story of a survivor she walked with. The lady had found a lump, yet the doctor repeatedly told her it was nothing. She demanded a second mammagram and he said no. She kept insisting. Finally she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was amazing to hear that the doctor kept saying no. It was amazing to hear how she did not take no. She had said she felt like she knew it was cancer and would not give up. If that is one thing to learn....you can never give up. You can not take no for an answer. Kelly went on to tell us, that the treatments she had, gave her diabetes, and later the diabetes made her lose a couple toes....and yet she walks. She walks so someone else does not have to go through that. It is absolutely amazing how many survivors walk this walk. They walk because they know the pain. They walk because it is not right for someone else to go through what they went through.
From lunch on, the team has spread out. We are all feeling some sort of pain. Blisters are forming. I have been lucky not to even have a hot spot on my feet. Jillian and I start to go delirious and laughing at, who knows what. Laughter is a great thing to have on the walk. It really makes the time go by.
Speaking of time going by, a group of volunteers had actually went the entire route and wrote on the sidewalk little sayings...motivational words like "3 days, 60 miles, 1 step closer" or "my boobies thank you". It was great to see that someone had actually written all of that for us!
At the last pit stop, we waited for the team to catch up together. We were at the end of the whole group, so didnt have much time to rest, but we were lucky and got to sit on 'the beach'. Each pit stop has a theme, and this one just happened to be a beach theme.
We walked to camp together as a team. One thing that I will keep as a great memory...no matter what, the team of 7 started together, and finished together.
Day Three, October 26, 2008
Both knees are shot. I have an ace bandage on the right and an ace bandage plus the knee brace on the left. Walking down that hill to camp that morning, I almost start crying. Then a volunteer sees my face, pats my back, and tells me he understands. That alone gave me strength to make it down that hill.
Unfortunately the Post office was already packed up, so I am sure I missed some encouraging words my friends sent. I had to find the motivation without it. I had to have the encouragement inside me.
Warm breakfast was great. My team got to experience that this morning. Once again, we were among the last to leave, but that was okay. We all had the mindset that we were going to finish this thing! They were also sweet enough to get me a matching tank top so we really looked like a team today!
Back up the hill we went and we had to take a 30 min bus ride to where we would start walking. The day started off cold, but once the sun was out, it warmed up nicely. High of 70 it was going to be.
The walk took us to and throughout downtown. Hills were probably the toughest ones all weekend. The Motrin was not cutting it. But I had to push on. At one of the stops, I was able to get the "I walk for my Grandmother" flag. (there are several flags that the whole group carries throughout the weekend). There were 3 of us on the team that got to carry flags. It is a great reminder of why we walk.
We ended up meeting a few other walkers that walked with us the entire day, despite how slow we were. I looked over my shoulder one time and saw we were the absolute last. We were told at each stop, we needed to hurry, or they would make us take the van. We were so far behind, that for a while, the ambulance was following right along with us. None of us wanted to be 'swept', so we stepped it up a little.
Pushing through to lunch, my feet have swollen so much, my one size bigger shoes are now tight. I end up taking them off and walk in my socks for about a mile to lunch.
Lunch was at Piedmont Park. It was a beautiful park with water, and a view in the distance of the downtown buildings. It was great to see those buildings, because we knew we would be finishing somewhere within them.
There were a lot more supporters out today. We needed that. To have complete strangers telling us we are doing a great job....to have strangers thank us for doing what we are doing....you just can not put into words how great that feels.
Some of the pitstops give us pins or stickers. Its amazing that something like that can make you smile and feel good.
At the last pit stop, we had made it towards the middle of the group. I was able to sit for a bit, but had suddenly become nauseous. Dehydration? maybe? Too many pain pills? maybe. Didnt matter. We were only 2 miles from the end!!
We arrived at the Congress Center where closing ceremonies would be! There were so many people there to support us! We waited for our entire team to enter the building, and crossed the finish together.
We walked into the building, and all the walkers that had already finished were wearing their white shirts,waving their pom poms, and yelling for us! It was overwhelming how many of them there were. A sea of walkers, all in the same 3 Day shirt, congratulating us for completing!
Inside, once all the walkers had arrived, everyone lined up with their teammates, linking arms, and walked into the Closing Ceremony together.
After us, came the volunteers and crew. And then came the survivors in thei Pink Shirts! The crowd all took off one shoe and held it up for them! They are why we walk!
A great speech was given, and it was wonderful to see how emotional the team was. I was so proud of each and everyone of them, not knowing what they had gotten into, yet they had compelted every step!
ON ON to 2009 3 Day!
This page was last modified on Sunday, November 06, 2011 12:23:59 PM