Monthly Archives: May 2024

May Pink Bubble Story of the Month: Stephen Y. 

Stephen’s story is his wife’s story.  

In 2005, Stephen’s wife, Karen, was diagnosed with breast cancer and fought every step of the way with her husband by her side. Stephen would attend every appointment to support his wife, to the point that on rare occasions when he was unable to make one, the doctors would be concerned. “We went from two I’s into one We,” he touchingly notes. Soon after receiving her diagnosis, Karen found solace in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® community when she registered to walk for the very first time. Each year, her husband was on the sidelines cheering as she walked until 2011 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer a second time. Unable to walk for herself, Stephen knew that the best way he could support his wife was to walk in her place. The following year they walked together for the first and final time before Karen transitioned over to crewing.  

Karen began crewing as a thriver on the sweep van where she and her crew partner, Melissa A., were affectionately known as “the camo girls.” Karen and Melissa met at a 3-Day Opening Ceremony years prior and became fast friends, so when they decided to sweep together, it became their passion. Stephen describes the Komen 3-Day as his wife’s happy place, an event that they lived 365 days a year, giving her reason to get up each morning and motivation to fight just a bit harder. Karen and Melissa would spend every day chatting about their upcoming sweep van, buying decor, planning outfits, and fundraising. All the while, Stephen was walking the 3-Day® to continue his wife’s passion as she received treatment.  

In 2017, Karen’s breast cancer had metastasized to her brain, making her unable to drive the sweep van with her partner Melissa. She still attended the San Diego 3-Day and passed away just six weeks later. After thirty years of marriage, Stephen was left without his beloved wife, and their three children left without a mother. Stephen speaks about how incredible their marriage was and her absence has left a huge hole in his heart to this very day. “Nobody’s family should have to go through what my family has gone through and continues to go through…. [I walk] so that nobody else has to [experience] what my family has.”  

Day 3 of the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day on November 19, 2017.

Over 200 people attended her funeral, many of whom were friends made on the 3-Day. From that moment, Stephen knew that the best way to honor his late wife was to walk every single 3-Day, which he has done since. He has walked a total of 32 times and crewed once, participating as an all-city walker every year since his wife’s passing. Stephen remains in close contact with Melissa, his wife’s sweep partner, who has become a family member to him and his children. Stephen will be walking in all four cities again in 2024 and looks forward to returning to the Pink Bubble. “In this world there are givers and takers. [At the 3-Day] everyone is a giver and anything you need, you can ask of anybody and if they’ve got it, they will give it to you,” he shared. “It was important to my wife so it’s important to me.” 

Baking Pies and Saving Lives 

Janet S. is a breast cancer survivor and Susan G. Komen 3-Day® walker who raises money in the sweetest way possible—baking pies! For years, she has been using her mother-in-law’s foolproof recipe to bake delicious pies for her family. When it came time to fundraise for the Komen 3-Day, she began baking and selling mini pies at her friend’s bakery for $5 each, once a week, which they called “Pie Day Tuesday.” She would make two flavors, apple and triple berry (blueberry, raspberry and blackberry) which always sold out rather quickly. Soon, she found herself scaling her pie fundraising by baking in higher quantities for events such as community-wide swap meets, garage sale days, and school bazaars. Seeing how much people loved the pies, she then started to sell them on Facebook a few times a year. Before she knew it, she was offering nine different flavors. “When I do an event or Facebook sale, I usually bake 200 to 250 pies in a two-day period… I have a regular kitchen and one oven, so things get pretty crowded.”  

Janet’s pies are made entirely from scratch and her husband assists in tasks like peeling apples and managing the kitchen during busy baking periods. She has even involved her grandchildren in the pie-making process, teaching them how to roll dough. Immediately after the San Diego 3-Day each year, Janet kicks off the next year’s fundraising by baking about 30-35 full-size Thanksgiving pies to raise money for breast cancer treatment and research, a cause that is near to her heart. Janet was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 after her annual physical check-up when her doctor performed a breast exam where he found nothing, but suggested she get her first mammogram anyway. Janet tended to procrastinate but didn’t delay this time, a decision that saved her life, since the cancer was detected at an early stage (DCIS). She underwent a lumpectomy followed with five years of Tamoxifen treatment before she joined the Pink Bubble. She was inspired to walk when she learned that her friend and fellow survivor Darcy H. was participating, and Janet knew that she wanted to do something to advocate for early detection. She and her daughter Jessi C. began walking the following year at the 2007 Seattle 3-Day where they participated yearly until transitioning to San Diego in 2022. They have since walked the San Diego 3-Day in 2023 and have plans to return in 2024.  

She encourages others not to hesitate in asking for donations, noting that people are often willing to contribute when they know the cause. In addition to baking pies, Janet’s family has organized fundraising events like bunco nights and “bowling for boobies” at a local bowling’ alley which she says always have a great turnout. To Janet, the Pink Bubble is a place of solidarity, gratitude, and determination to overcome the disease which has affected so many of us. She expresses her appreciation for the support of others during her walks and emphasizes the importance of gratitude throughout her journey.