The Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk and My Everyday Superheroes

Hi, everyone. In just a little over a month from now, the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure will be held in Phoenix. It is sometimes hard to believe an entire year has gone by since I was first diagnosed. The Phoenix walk started last November on the very same day that I recieved the official word that I did indeed have breast cancer. At the same time I was sitting in my doctor's office trying to absorb the news, hundreds of men and women were walking past my elementary school in Gilbert, Arizona. My students were out cheering the walkers on and I felt in my heart cheering me on, too.

Earlier this year, my sister, Pam, my daughter, Janaya, my husband, Joe, and I decided that we were going to participate in the walk this year. We have experienced first-hand the benefits of the continuing research into better treatments and hope one day a possible cure for breast cancer will be discovered. We knew we wanted to do something to contribute to the effort of making breast cancer a thing of the past; something our children wouldn't have to deal with. For me, it would also be an emotional celebration, a chance to show that the cancer hadn't beaten me.

Unfortunately, although all indications are that I'm cancer free at the moment, I'm not physically ready to actually walk myself. I found out this past week that I am going to need to have plastic surgery, some type of skin graft, to repair damage done to my incision by the radiation. I also have another course of chemo ahead of me when I heal from that procedure. I am so disappointed. However, I will be out there with my students, cheering on this year's walkers. Among them will be Pam, Janaya, and Joe - my everyday superheroes. On those three days in November, they will walk a total of 60 miles, but they have already walked a million steps with me on this journey over the past year. Without their love and support and their being there for me every step of the way, I know I wouldn't have had the strength to face the physical and emotional battles I've had to.

I am not alone in facing these challenges. One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Every time I'm with a large group of women, at the gym, at the grocery store, at school, I think of what that means, of the lives that will be impacted.

I've posted two videos from the 3-Day website below. I think they are powerful. They are recruiting walkers, but I think they also give you an idea of the type of people who walk and why they walk. If you'd like to help support my superheroes and all of the other men and women that fight this battle or know someone who is or has fought, please visit their website. It is www.the3day.org. Click on make a donation and search for Pam Regan, Janaya Hitzel, or Joseph Hitzel. Together, their goal is to raise $6,900.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Martha