The Most Creative Ways 3-Dayers Honor Who They Walk For

As we walk 60 miles in honor of our loved ones who have been affected by breast cancer, 3-Dayers pull out all the stops to decorate those pink outfits! One of the ways we accessorize is by bringing mementos to celebrate those we walk for. Over the years, we have seen some extremely creative ways that people honor their reasons for walking.

Photos: Bring a photo of your loved one to the 3-Day. One idea that we love is to take pictures with the photo you brought on pit stops, at the ceremonies, and with fellow walkers you meet along the way to bring along a piece of them if they aren’t walking with you.

Pins: We 3-Dayers certainly love our pins! Make a pin with your loved one’s photo or name to bring with you on your 3-Day walk.

Ribbons: Write each person’s name on a ribbon and pin it on you. You can ask those who donated to you to send you names to walk in memory of or bring a bag full of blank ribbons for fellow walkers to write their family and friend’s names on. If you want to get really creative, try creating a hat or bra full of ribbons with names on them!

Clothing: Wear a pink shirt, bandana, or hat and bring a sharpie for fellow 3-Dayers to write who they walk in honor of, too. You can also print a photo of them on a t-shirt so everyone can see who you are walking for!

Flags and Capes: Honor who you are walking for by writing their names on a pink flag or cape and let it fly! Everyone behind you will see each of the names with each step you take.

Jewelry: Hold who you walk for close to your heart with a necklace. You can also bring a bracelet, ring, or earrings with your loved one’s name on it to wear throughout the 3-Day.

Keychains: Make a keychain to put on your lanyard or backpack with names and objects that remind you of who you walk for. We have seen everything from stuffed animals to beaded handmade keychains.

Lanyards: Let your personality shine by decorating your 3-Day lanyard. Use those photos, stickers, pins, keychains, and ribbons to spice up that ID badge.

Participating in the 3-Day is a monumentally special experience. Bringing something sentimental that reminds you of your loved one along for the journey makes it that much more special. Let us know how you honor those you walk for during the 3-Day in the comments!

The Four Words That Changed My Life

By Beth B.

Beth B. at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®

I never get tired of telling my story. Four words.

It all started on October 26, 2011 —10 days after my 30th high school reunion. I went for my annual exam. Ten minutes into the visit, my gynecologist said, “You have a lump.” Four words. Thirty minutes later, I was having a mammogram a month before my regularly scheduled one and an ultrasound. An hour later, the technician took me into a room and put me on the phone with my doctor, who said, “We found something suspicious.” Four words. They told me to find a surgeon and schedule a biopsy as soon as possible. Six days later, I had a biopsy, and on November 4, 2011, my world turned upside down. I was 48 years old when I heard “You have breast cancer.” Four words.

Part of my story involves how and where I received my diagnosis. I am a lobbyist for a financial services company, and the day after my biopsy, I traveled to Washington, D.C., on a business trip. As every cancer patient knows, the thing that you crave the most is normalcy. While I didn’t yet know that I was a cancer patient, I craved normalcy. The thought of sitting at home and waiting for the results was unbearable to me. I was in a meeting room with about 75 people when my cellphone started ringing, and I could see it was the surgeon’s office. I made it out to the lobby where the diagnosis was delivered. It was as if all the air had left the building. All I wanted to do was to get back to my room to call my Mom. I held it together until she picked up the phone, and I burst into tears. I felt like a child who falls off her bike and doesn’t cry until she gets home and runs straight into her mother’s arms.

I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, stage 2B. I had a lumpectomy a week before Thanksgiving in 2011. My margins were not clean, and I had node involvement. I chose to have a single mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, and I have never regretted that decision. The surgery was four days before Christmas. I had eight rounds of chemo. I lost all of my hair and started reconstruction during chemo. I finished treatment on May 2, 2012 and had reconstructive surgery later that summer with the final surgery that fall. I am currently taking Letrozole after five years of Tamoxifen. I still have neuropathy in my feet, but it is gone from my hands. Now my four words are “You are a survivor.”

I have met the most incredible people on this journey. I am proud to be a survivor, and I feel blessed every day. My fellow survivor thrivers are the bravest people I have ever met. They give me hope and courage every day. I hit the 9-year survivorship mark last November. Some days, it feels like yesterday, and other days, it feels like a lifetime ago. Some days, I scratch and claw my way through, but most days I just feel incredibly lucky.

We must continue to fund the research that will eventually eradicate this monster. Together we can, and will, lift the veil on this horrendous disease. Together, we are stronger than cancer. Life changes in an instant. I really have no other words. I will NEVER stop telling my story and I will NEVER stop fighting for a cure.

Here are my final four words to you — GO LIVE YOUR LIFE!

The 3-Day Victory Shirt Goes Skydiving

As Kathryn D. was preparing for her fifth Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, she heard the words no sister wants to hear: your brother has cancer. In an effort to do something special with her brother Matthew, she took to the skies and jumped out of an airplane with him. “He’s an intensive care nurse, and while six years younger than me, he has always been an inspiration. I would never have let myself get tossed out of an airplane if it wasn’t for him.” Kathryn details her experience with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® and being on Team Ecccentricia, why she wore her 3-Day victory shirt on the dive and how jumping out of a plane is not as scary as cancer.

*Kathryn skydiving in her 3-Day Victory T-shirt*

What is your connection to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day?

I first learned about the 3-Day in 2008 when my sister participated. Then my best friend, my cousin Cheryl died of breast cancer in 2011. It got personal. In 2012, my sister and I did the 3-Day for Cheryl. Since then, I’ve been proud to participate in 2017, 2018 and 2019 in Seattle. San Diego 2021 will be my fifth walk.

What is team Ecccentricia?

Ecccentricia is the name of a character from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Among her other attributes, she also had three breasts. My sister chose the name for her first walk. Her T-shirt read ?However many you have, we’ll walk for ’em.” She hasn’t been able to participate since 2012, but I’ve kept the name alive. There have been as many as six of us over the years, but this year Ecccentricia is a team of one.

Why did you go skydiving?

I went skydiving because my brother was recently diagnosed with cancer. He will almost certainly live. He has gone skydiving once before and has wanted to go again ever since. He said if I’d try it, he’d come with me. I wanted to give him this gift. I wanted to find out if there was anything more terrifying than being told your best beloved has cancer. Answer: If there is, freefall isn’t it. Freefall ended after 60 seconds. Cancer is a lifetime.

*Kathryn’s brother, Matthew, on their skydiving adventure*

Why did you choose to wear your 3-Day Victory shirt on this adventure?

I wore the Victory shirt because it reminds me that I can do hard things. I confronted real terror being pushed out of that airplane. When I landed, I was happy to be wearing that shirt. I can conquer difficulty in my life. I can overcome fear. I can make a difference.

What are you most looking forward to for this year’s event?

What I’m most looking forward to is the silliest thing ever! I’m looking forward to the Cupid Shuffle with a lot of happy, sweating, exhausted people! Even on day 3 we can still dance!

Kathryn D. will be walking the 2021 Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego this November. Have you ever worn your 3-Day victory shirt on an adventure? We want to know! Leave a picture and your story in the comments section.