“As a walker, you could be the person who helped fund a researcher to find the cures. As a walker, you could be the person who pays someone’s medical bills, so they are not burdened by financial issues and can focus on their health. As a walker, you will learn so much about this horrific disease and you can use that information to save the lives of your family and friends by sharing what you learn. Being a 3-Day walker has changed my life. My feet are ugly, I have knee issues, but I’m a better person. It is an experience that will change you for the rest of your life, and one that you will never forget.” —Sharon D.
In 2001, President Bush called upon Americans to do one more thing to support and help one another. With a large family, a packed work schedule, and an active lifestyle at church, Sharon was perplexed as to how she could add “one more thing” to her busy schedule. The following Sunday, she was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of tea when she came across an advertisement for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. “I thought ‘you can do this. You’re healthy and you’re blessed because no one in your family has had breast cancer,’” Sharon recalls, “So, I began to train, and I did the walk.” Since then, Sharon has participated in twelve walks and is ecstatic to travel from Florida to Denver next year to rejoin the Pink Bubble in 2024.
Sharon continues to walk because of how important it is to raise money for breast cancer research for many reasons. Since her first 3-Day, she has had many friends and loved ones who fought breast cancer, some of whom have lost their lives to this horrific illness. “If we can find the cures to breast cancer, the cures for many other cancers can’t be far behind,” she shared. Sharon hopes that someday we find the cures so that those who are diagnosed with cancer can sleep peacefully and wake up each morning knowing that they’re going to beat this disease, that they will have an opportunity to have long, healthy, and happy lives.
She is also continually inspired by the Pink Bubble. One of her favorite memories is when the last walker was struggling and considering quitting. “I didn’t know her, but I did know that she had a big heart and that she was walking for something that meant a great deal to her. We all do that.” So, Sharon turned around on the route, walked back to the last walker, encouraged her, and kept her company until she reached the finish line. “She crossed the finish line by herself and was greeted by her family. It was a great reminder that with help and encouragement, we can all do more than we think we can.”
Similarly, Sharon remembers completing her very first 3-Day and, to her surprise, her 85-year-old mother, three sisters, and very pregnant sister-in-law were passing out t-shirts at the Closing Ceremony. Her family had previously told her that they could not attend, but little did she know they had plotted to be part of the celebration all along!
She encourages everyone interested in joining the 3-Day to take the leap and just do it. “Raising money may be hard but hearing that you have a diagnosis of breast cancer is harder. Training is hard, but enduring a mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy is harder. She shared “The 3-Day gives you the opportunity to make a difference.”
See previous Pink Bubble Story of the Month blog posts here.