How a 3-Day Training Walk Saved Burt’s Life

Burt L. and his 3-Day training walk group in New York,

At 81, Burt L. has walked the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® 35 times. A longtime training walk leader from New York, he’s spent years helping others prepare for their 60-mile journey. But a few years ago, Burt’s training group found themselves looking out for him.

“The last couple of years, I’d get an uncomfortable feeling in my chest when we started to walk,” Burt explained. “It would go away, and I felt fine.”

As the training walks continued around New York, the chest pains kept coming.

“At that point they told me they would not walk with me again unless I go see a doctor,” he said. “And by God, I needed it. They were right. They saved my life.”

Burt soon learned he needed a heart valve replacement and later, a pacemaker. These two procedures have allowed him to continue doing what he loves—walking in support of the 3-Day.

Burt L., a longtime walker of the Susan G, Komen 3-Day, during a heart procedure.

“If it hadn’t been for them yelling at me to go see a doctor, who knows where I would be today,” Burt said.

Today Burt is feeling good and plans to keep walking the 3-Day for as long as he can. He began walking 22 years ago in honor of his cousin, Judy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. When her cancer metastasized (spread), she faced it with courage until her death in 2004.

“I need to do all I can to make sure Judy did not die in vain,” Burt said. “I need to do all I can to help bring about the day when no other man or woman, no other family, loses a person they love to breast cancer.”

In the early years, he walked with Judy’s daughters. And this year, in what he calls “a delicious demonstration of the circle of life,” Burt will walk his 36th 3-Day alongside Judy’s grandson.

“We are JuJu’s Boys,” he said. “On his first 3-Day and my 36th, we will continue the fight against breast cancer together.”

Over the last two decades in the Pink Bubble, Burt has raised more than $300,000 for the 3-Day. Each month, Burt and his training groups strive to meet and walk 10 to 20 miles in preparation for the 3-Day. While many of them participate in different 3-Day cities, they take care and motivate each other through every step of training.

To learn more about the 3-Day visit the3day.org.

“There’s Good in the World”: Amber’s 3-Day Story

Breasties Forever at the 2025 Susan G. Komen 3-Day in San Diego.

Amber B. first heard about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® from an acquaintance more than 20 years ago. At the time, she didn’t know anyone personally affected by breast cancer, but something about the 3-Day drew her in. She’s been walking and recruiting new people to join her ever since.

Today, Amber leads Breasties Forever, a small but mighty team that has raised more than $206,000 for the 3-Day.

“For such a small team, that makes me really proud,” Amber said.

A Family Affair

Amber B. and her mom at a 2006 fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in Dallas.

Amber’s 3-Day journey began close to home in Dallas. In those early years, she walked alongside her mom. Soon, her aunt joined. Then some close friends.

“It became a family affair,” Amber said.

In 2017, two women she had gone to high school with joined her in San Diego. One of them is the daughter of a seven-time cancer survivor. They’re still walking together in San Diego every year.

Team shirts for Amber B.s team at the 2017 Susan G. Komen 3-Day in San Diego.

Her aunt, now in her 70s, walked for 15 years before recently retiring from the 3-Day.

Amber said the 3-Day experience has been life-changing and credits the Pink Bubble community for bringing her back year after year.

“Physically, it’s a lot of work. It’s very humbling,” Amber explained. “It makes you believe there’s good in the world to know we’re all there in the Pink Bubble for the same cause and the same fight.”

Walking Through Pain

Amber’s commitment to the 3-Day has come with challenges. She has fibromyalgia, but trains year-round. She focuses on keeping her feet healthy and even keeps a walking pad at her desk.

In 2016, she broke her neck in a car accident, but she still wanted to walk in the 3-Day. She was placed in a halo brace and was incapacitated for several months. While most people would have taken the year off, Amber had already reached her fundraising goal and was determined to walk her first 3-Day in San Diego.

Amber B. wearing a neck collar after she suffered a broken neck. She attended the Susan G. Komen 3-Day a few months after her accident.

“My doctor replaced the halo with a neck collar, and I think I walked 21 miles that year with my broken neck,” Amber explained. “But I loved San Diego and I’ve been walking there ever since.”

When Cancer Hits Close to Home

For many years, Amber walked the 3-Day in support of others. Then cancer showed up in her team.

Breasties Forever at the 2024 Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

In 2024, Michelle—her close friend and teammate—was diagnosed with breast cancer just one month before the Dallas/Fort Worth event but was able to walk 20 miles with Breasties Forever. By the next year, Michelle returned as a survivor and braved the 2025 San Diego 3-Day that was hit by an unprecedented storm, joined by her husband and the team.

“It was hard for her, but we kept going and we made it,” Amber said. “We had already been doing the 3-Day so long that when she was diagnosed, she knew she had support and that was amazing.”

Amber and Breasties Forever at the 2025 San Diego 3-Day.

Then last month, Amber’s mom was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a terminal brain tumor, which further solidified her commitment to the 3-Day.

“I have always felt that if we can find a cure for one cancer, we can find a cure for all,” she said.

3-Day Fundraising

A big part of Amber’s 3-Day journey is her dedication to fundraising. This year alone, she has contacted 76 local businesses asking for donations and is working hard to secure corporate matches from her network of family and friends. She has already collected several items for raffles to help her team meet their goal, and to help move the needle closer to a world without breast cancer.

“I think we will find a cure eventually, but it’s going to take money and it’s going to take dedicated people to do it,” she said. “I plan to keep walking as long as I can and I hope more people will join me.”

The Breasties Forever at the 2023 Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

In 2022, the friend who first introduced Amber to the 3-Day decades ago reconnected with her on social media, and they walked together again in San Diego. And this year, Amber’s 25-year-old daughter Danielle will walk with Breasties Forever at the 3-Day for the first time.

To learn more visit the3day.org.

Statements and opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.??

Kristi’s Story: Metastatic Breast Cancer and the 3-Day

Kristi T. at the 2023 Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

When Kristi T. heard about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, she was in treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and searching for community.

“I thought it would be cool to walk with others who were going through a similar situation as I was, or who had a loved one or friend with a similar diagnosis,” she said.

Diagnosed in 2021 at just 37, Kristi was navigating life as a single mom while undergoing an intense treatment plan that included chemotherapy, monthly injections of pertuzumab and trastuzumab, and targeted therapies for HER2-positive MBC.

Despite everything her body was going through, Kristi was drawn to the idea of the 3-Day and wanted to be surrounded by others who understood the realities of breast cancer.

Stepping Into the 3-Day

Kristi T. was a guest speaker at the 2023 Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

Kristi signed up as a solo walker for the 2023 San Diego 3-Day and was asked to share her story as a guest speaker. She said she felt support every step of the way. Kristi joined other participants in Central Oregon for training walks and started building connections before the event. Once she got to San Diego, those connections grew even more.

“There were teams that I kind of clung to,” Kristi said. “I started out with some of the women from Central Oregon, but as the weekend unfolded, I met so many other amazing people.”

Initially, the thought of walking 60 miles was intimidating to Kristi, especially while undergoing treatment. She had recently started taking chemotherapy pills that caused pain and sensitivity in her hands and feet.

But her fears eased after she reached out to her 3-Day coach, who explained that sweep vans, pit stops and medical crews would be available throughout the route.

“She told me I didn’t have to walk the full 20 miles a day, and knowing there were options helped calm my nerves a lot,” Kristi said.

Another challenging aspect was the 3-Day fundraising. To help reach her goal, Kristi leaned on creativity. With help from her friends and co-workers, she hosted a Barbie-themed fashion show fundraiser, complete with Barbie and Ken outfits strutting down the runway.

Kristi T. at her Barbie-themed fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

“A lot of people donated, and I felt really lucky to have that support,” she said.

When the first day of the event arrived, Kristi was up for the challenge.

On Day 1, adrenaline carried Kristi forward. She said she felt “amped.” By Day 2, exhaustion and foot pain set in, but the 3-Day medical crew stepped in, wrapping her feet and bandaging her toes so she could keep going.

“They did a great job of taking care of me,” she said.

On the final stretch of the 3-Day, another surge of adrenaline kicked in.

“You’re like, ‘Okay, this is the last of it—we’re hitting the finish line,” Kristi said. “I knew my parents were going to be there; my sister and my son were waiting for me, too.”

Crossing the finish line was an emotional moment for her.

“Finishing the 3-Day gave me a new appreciation for my body—I felt more confident again,” she said.

Kristi T. at the 2023 Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day finish line.

Looking Ahead with Hope

Today, Kristi’s cancer has remained stable through daily medication and monthly bone infusions. In April 2025, she got married and said she lives each day with gratitude and optimism.

“I’ve accepted that I will have breast cancer for the rest of my life,” she said. “But seeing people with MBC who have been living with it for over 20 years is hopeful and empowering.”

Kristi said she hopes to walk the Boston 3-Day soon with her sister. To read more about Kristi’s story, visit komen.org.

Kristi T. and her family at the 2023 Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.