New England Milestone Award: Mary Anne W.

Meet Mary Anne W., our 2024 New England 3-Day Milestone Award Winner!   

Mary Anne has walked 22 times in 20 years, raising a lifetime total of more than $147,000. This year, she walks for her dental hygienist, Tracy, a three-year breast cancer survivor. 

What was your inspiration to participate in your first Susan G. Komen 3-Day®?  

A co-worker who I regularly walked with gave me the information to register. 

What has brought you back to the 3-Day® year after year?   

My first 3-Day walk was in 1998, and then [I] kept registering when Komen took over in 2003. I have walked at least one event each year since. The past two years, I have walked two 3-Day events and will do so this year, too. So, New England will be walk 23 of the Komen 3-Day, then later number 24 in Dallas/Fort Worth. 

What is the secret to your 3-Day fundraising success?   

My secret to fundraising is mailing letters that include the donation form [and] a stamped envelope to the bank starting in mid-April. I mail everyone I have ever known in my life. Yep, stamps are expensive, but my donors love getting my letters, which include a photo and story of someone I know personally who has had breast cancer. This year I am walking for Tracy, my dental hygienist. She is 51, and a 3-year survivor. My letter and a photo of Tracy are below. 

“I’m on the road again this year with my 23rd 3-Day. This time I am walking to honor Tracy, my dental hygienist and a 3-year breast cancer survivor. Here is her breast cancer story: 

‘I moved from Nebraska to Arizona in June 2021 so excited to start working right away at a Prescott, AZ dental office as a Dental Hygienist. Just one month later I was diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer with lymph node involvement and very high in Estrogen. A lumpectomy was performed in September and a port was placed in November of that year. A/C “Red Devil” chemotherapy started in December, every other week for 2 months, followed by a less potent chemotherapy which occurred weekly for three months. I then got to take a break for a couple months to regain some strength before the Radiation Oncologist needed 15 chest x-rays and radiation continued every morning Monday through Friday for 18 weeks. Next, it was a challenge to find the right combination of hormone blockers that didn’t make my muscles and bones ache. I now get acupuncture and massages weekly to help with the neuropathy in my feet. I just recently started to feel less fatigued, now I’m able to go on walks and I hope to start a workout routine again soon. 

I’m so lucky that I have a job that I was able to continue to work while going through cancer treatment. 

During all my treatments my husband cooked, cleaned and shopped so I could rest, I am so lucky to have him, my family, friends and patients that have kept me positive throughout my cancer journey.’  

Tracy’s journey with this disease will hopefully inspire those you know to take breast health seriously and get your annual mammograms, etc. I am hoping you will donate today to my fundraising using the enclosed donation form and envelope addressed to the lockbox in Dallas. If you prefer to donate online, go to The3Day.org, type my name and choose the donation amount. 

Thank you for continuing to care about breast cancer and finding the cures.” 

What is your best advice to anyone walking the 3-Day?    

The event is three days of walking and meeting new faces who may wind up being a very good friend. 

What’s a fun fact about you?  

I am 80 years old and played competitive tennis from age 4 to 70. I have been playing pickleball since January and, with my tennis background, have picked up the sport easily. I live in a community that has many retired people who also play the game, [so I have made] lots of new friends with this sport. I have also been an active YMCA member since age 4 [and] have been married to Tom for 60 years. I do cardio classes 5 days a week, pickleball 4 days, and walk 5 miles a day. 

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned on the 3-Day?    

Start your fundraising as early as possible, train, and be kind always. 

New England Crew Impact Award Winner: Ali P. 

Meet Ali P., our 2024 New England Crew Impact Award Winner!    

Since her first Susan G. Komen 3-Day® 16 years ago as a member of the Youth Corps, Ali has participated 18 times and has raised a lifetime total of nearly $14,000. To this day, she plays an imperative role in keeping the program afloat and thriving. 

“Ali has always embodied the Komen 3-Day to me. She is an incredibly dedicated leader, teacher, and, most importantly, friend. If it weren’t for her hard work, organization, and advocacy, the Youth Corps would not look like it does. As one of the founding members of the Youth Corps when she was a young girl herself, to the repeat leader she has become, Ali has always made sure the Youth Corps mission is a success.” —Bailey M.  

What was your inspiration to do your first 3-Day®?  

My mom had walked the 3-Day for years with her sister, Rose, who was battling breast cancer. At the time, I was very young, but I got to see my mom and aunt at camp (back when camp was outside, moved each night, and was open to friends and family), and at the Closing Ceremony; I immediately knew I wanted to get involved and support the cause. A few years later, the Youth Corps started here in Boston, and I jumped at the chance to join the team. It was one of the best experiences ever, and one that I will never forget. 

What has brought you back to the 3-Day year after year?   

The 3-Day is an amazing event that supports an extremely important cause that is near and dear to my heart. While I initially joined the 3-Day to support my aunt Rose’s battle and triumph over breast cancer, after my first event in New England 2006, I was hooked. I made so many new friends that quickly became family to me, and I looked forward to joining forces with them each year in the fight against breast cancer.  

However, in 2012 my world was rocked, reminding me how cruel this disease is when my grandmother Rosemarie, my mom Cathy, and my Aunt Joanne were all diagnosed with breast cancer. Within a six-month span, three more women on my mom’s side of the family had breast cancer. It was then that I vowed to participate in the 3-Day until we find the cures and there is no need for the walk anymore. 

What is your favorite aspect of crewing the 3-Day?   

My favorite aspect of crewing the 3-Day is the Youth Corps. Maybe I’m biased because I was a member as a kid and have been a Youth Corps leader 12 times, but seeing the smile they bring to walkers is special. Outside of the Youth Corps, it’s being able to help and support others on event. I know firsthand that walking 60 miles is no easy feat, so being there for others in any way I can is extremely rewarding. 

What is your best advice to anyone crewing the 3-Day?    

Talk to everyone, and I mean everyone! Listen to their stories, share yours, make new friends. Smile at someone, say hi, give them a high five — even the smallest actions make a world of difference. And most importantly, enjoy every moment and have fun! Don’t get too caught up in your task that you forget why you are there. 

What’s a fun fact about you?  

I have run eight marathons, six in the United States, one in London, one in Germany, and have individually raised over $50,000 while doing so. My goal is to complete all of the world’s major marathons, and I am only one marathon away from doing so. 

August Pink Bubble Story of the Month: Lisa P. 

Lisa P., Team Powered by Optimism 

I first noticed a mass in my left breast around September or October of 2003 [at the age of 35, but] I was nursing my newborn daughter without difficulty, so I didn’t think much about it. I had my first OB/GYN appointment after giving birth in January, 2004 where I mentioned the mass to my doctor, and he immediately sent in a referral to a surgeon. I followed through with that appointment and the surgeon ordered an ultrasound. Results were reported as nothing unusual, perhaps a blocked milk duct and it was recommended I return after cessation of breast feeding if the mass was still present. My daughter stopped nursing in April of 2004 and the mass remained, so I called for an appointment with my primary doctor. He was on vacation, so I made the appointment with another doctor in May of 2004 when a follow up ultrasound was ordered. The same doctor that interpreted my first ultrasound also viewed the second and the report came back stating the mass seemed to be slightly smaller and to check back in six months.  

[In November] I was able to get an appointment with my primary doctor who asked if anyone had recommended a mammogram, to which I said no. Right then he put in the order for a mammogram, but I put off the appointment until right after Christmas the following month. Shortly after the mammogram, I got a call to schedule a biopsy. The possibility of cancer still had not crossed my mind. Avoidance, maybe?  

On January 19, 2005, I received a call at work from the surgeon instructing me to go to the office immediately. My boss’ wife went with me and I was given the diagnosis of breast cancer. I don’t remember the staging classification, but the tumor was 7cm and estrogen positive. A flurry of appointments with the oncologist and surgeons followed; my head was spinning! All I could think about was that I had an 18-month-old daughter at home. 

The first oncologist recommended chemotherapy, surgery then more chemo. The neo-adjuvant therapy was to shrink the tumor for better margins for surgery, but I was not fond of that route, so I sought out a second opinion. [The second doctor’s] recommendation was a full mastectomy of the left breast, auxiliary lymph node dissection followed by chemo and radiation. Breast conserving surgery was not an option in his opinion, so surgery was scheduled for February 2005. My final diagnosis after a tissue test came back as estrogen+, HER2+ with no lymph node involvement. Treatment, starting April 2005, would include 8 rounds with the combination of Taxotere, Cytoxan and Adriamycin, over a month of radiation, 5 years Letrozole and 1 year of Herceptin. I was one of the “lucky” ones and didn’t feel terrible while going through chemo; I actually worked the entire time. However, I was thrown for a loop in May of 2005 when I was re-classified as stage 4 and my cancer had spread to a rib. Due to the re-staging, I decided to have my right breast and ovaries removed in the spring of 2006.  

My first reconstruction was a train wreck! I ended up having a latissimus flap reconstruction at UCSD which was rough, but the results were impressive. I am now approaching the 20th anniversary of my diagnosis. I am still on Letrozole and will continue with the Herceptin infusion every three weeks until it no longer works. I have an echocardiogram every three months to check my heart function as the Herceptin can be cardio toxic. My oncologist also orders a PET scan every year. Thankfully, I have been NED (no evidence of disease) for 15+ years. When I received my diagnosis, I thought I wouldn’t see my daughter start kindergarten and now she is 2 years away from a college degree in Agriculture Education! She has been my beacon of hope all these years! 

[I first heard about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® from] a coworker of mine who lost her mother to breast cancer and walked in 2006, who made me promise to walk with her in 2007. Did I think in 2007 that I would still be walking in 2024? Heck no! I come back year after year because, even though there have been amazing breakthroughs in treatment, there is still so much that needs to be accomplished, and it takes funds for research and patient support.  

I know I am one of the lucky ones, but there are so many who are no longer with us. I have moments of survivor guilt when I ask, “Why me? What makes me different from the others? Why has treatment worked for me and not them?” In my head I can rationalize the scientific reasons, but my heart is another matter. My heart aches for the ones we have lost and the loved ones they have left behind. 

Sometimes it is hard to put the feelings into words, but the Komen 3-Day is a feeling like nothing I have ever experienced before. The sense of camaraderie is overwhelming. Everyone is working toward the same goal and purpose…to end breast cancer. Walking every year with my team Powered by Optimism is an absolute joy. This team is my “framily”—friends who have become family. I couldn’t do it without them! For those interested in the 3-Day®, I tell everyone to come out to Opening or Closing Ceremonies, see us on the route or join a training walk and talk to us to find out what it is all about. Sign up to walk one day if you are unsure about all three.