Heather’s Story: Honoring a Loved One on Memorial Mile

Heather Bryan walks in the San Diego 3-Day in memory of her cousin-in-law, Kelly.

There’s a one-mile stretch of the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day® that’s especially bittersweet for Heather B.—Memorial Mile. 

Memorial Mile is a powerful part of every 3-Day route where walkers pass signs honoring those who have died from breast cancer. Each sign features a person’s name and a photo, placed there by loved ones who are walking in their memory. It’s both beautiful and emotional, reminding walkers exactly why they’re participating. 

For Heather, that mile carries a deeply personal meaning. 

“That last mile on day two is the hardest mile for me,” Heather said. “It is difficult turning the corner and seeing Kelly’s picture there on Memorial Mile.” 

Road to the 3-Day 

 In 2014, Heather set a personal goal to participate in 14 walking events as a way to prioritize her well-being.  

Around the same time, her husband’s cousins, Kelly and her sister Tracy, were thinking about walking the 3-Day in Arizona. Although they didn’t end up walking that year, they joined Heather at another breast cancer event in Central Oregon. 

Shortly before the event, Kelly had to undergo a biopsy after her doctor suspected breast cancer. 

“I encouraged them both to come to the event still, and they did,” Heather said.  

During the walk, Kelly connected with other participants and members of the breast cancer community. Just a few days later, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. 

After Kelly’s diagnosis, Heather set a new goal: she wanted to walk in the 2015 Seattle 3-Day the following year, in her honor. Even though Kelly couldn’t be there physically, she supported Heather every step of the way. 

“Throughout the walk, she and I were exchanging text messages, and she was giving me words of encouragement,” Heather recalled.  

Kelly responded well to treatment and then went into remission.

“I decided to come back to the 3-Day in 2021 and walk in San Diego when her cancer had come back and it wasn’t responding to treatment,” Heather explained. “She passed in August 2022.”

That November, Heather walked for the first time in memory of Kelly at the San Diego 3-Day. She has continued to walk in her memory and placed a sign for Kelly in the Memorial Mile in 2023 and 2025. She will do so again this year. 

“It was really hard that first year when I saw her smile on the Memorial Mile sign,” Heather said. “But the support from the Pink Bubble is absolutely amazing.” 

That experience deepened Heather’s sense of connection to everyone honored along that mile. 

“These are people’s loved ones that others are walking for,” Heather said. “I make it a point when I’m walking into camp at night to say every person’s name on every sign and recognize every person that is there.”  

Heather B. and supporters at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day

Walking for Many 

This year, Heather will walk her sixth 3-Day in San Diego as “Team Kelly.” Over the years, her brother has joined, and she has walked alongside other friends she met at the 3-Day. 

With every event, her passion for the Pink Bubble continues to grow. 

So does the list of people she walks for. 

“I carry a running list of names with me on all the 3-Days, whether they are survivors or they have passed away,” Heather said. “I want to honor every one of them.”  

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

 

Tamara M.’s Story: The Crazy Sign Lady

 

Tamara M. the Crazy Sign Lady at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

If you’ve walked in the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day®, you’ve likely seen—or taken a photo with—Tamara M., known in the Pink Bubble community as “the Crazy Sign Lady.”

Tamara has been a familiar face along the San Diego 3-Day route since 2013, but few know the story behind why she shows up year after year. It started when her sister walked the 3-Day in their hometown, and Tamara decided to cheer her on. 

“I came out to show her my support and that’s all it took. I was hooked,” Tamara explained. “The signs I made for her that first year were simple; teasing her about how many miles she had left and encouraging her at the same time.” 

Tamara M. creating her signs for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

But “the Crazy Sign Lady” didn’t truly emerge until the next year, when other 3-Day walkers began noticing her. 

“Some of them hated it at first, and I get it,” she said with a laugh. “The sign telling you how many miles are left when you just started can feel like a lot.” 

Over time, walkers grew to appreciate her presence along the 3-Day route.  

“They’d say, ‘Wow, you’re crazy. You’re everywhere!’” she said. 

 Growing Up With the 3-Day 

Tamara has lived in Arizona for the last seven years but returns to San Diego every fall for the 3-Day. Her children, now 10 and 8, have grown up attending the event, often holding signs beside their mom to support the walkers. 

Tamara M.'s kids at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

“I held signs while I was pregnant. I held signs with a baby carrier on my chest,” she said. “There are walkers who have pictures with my kids. They’ve hugged them and loved them. They’ve grown up with this community, too.” 

A Deep Connection to Walkers 

Tamara M. making her "Crazy Sign Lady" signs to support the walkers of the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

While some supporters eventually become walkers, Tamara believes her role is exactly where it needs to be. Her heart has become tied to every person on the 3-Day route and to their stories—walking in celebration, in memory and in support of those undergoing treatment for breast cancer.  

“If I walked, my signs would be missing, and I think I’d be letting the 3-Day family down,” she said. “This is my role. This is how I serve. They walk miles; I hold the signs. We carry each other through.” 

Tamara M. the Crazy Sign Lady at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day finish line.

And at the finish line, that connection is undeniable. 

“When I’m hugging walkers who are tired and blistered, sometimes I’m physically holding them up,” Tamara explained. “We’re both crying. That’s the symbolism for me—they may be walking miles, but they’re not walking alone.” 

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

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.