Flying the Flags of Hope

Today is Flag Day in the United States, and while we all should honor the Stars and Stripes in our hearts, here at the 3-Day, we have some flags of our own that carry very special meaning too.

At our Opening and Closing Ceremonies and in camp, we are surrounded by flags and banners with inspirational words and phrases, giving us motivation, encouragement and hope. One of the most powerful moments of each Closing Ceremony is when we raise the final flag over a sea of triumphant walkers, crew members and survivors, signifying our commitment to a world without breast cancer.

We also raise a very special flag in camp on the first two nights of each 3-Day event. This flag is carried into camp, amidst incredible fanfare, by the last walker to arrive each day.

It’s a beautiful tradition on the 3-Day. Instead of celebrating the first walker to make it across the finish line like most other races do, we instead ignite everyone already in camp to come out and cheer in the last walker. With their arrival, our 3-Day family is complete for another night.

So to tie in with Flag Day, we gathered some thoughts from a few of our last walkers from the 2015 events, sharing what that experience and that special flag meant to them.

Kathryn Labbe, who lives in Mesa, AZ, was the last walker (along with her teammates) on Day 1 of the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day last year. Kathryn has participated in the 3-Day every year since 2006 (except 2014), and will be walking this year in the Twin Cities. When asked how that Day 1 was for her last year, she said, “My day was long, hot and exhausting, but fun. It was great fun being last walkers. We were so happy to have made it to camp. We didn’t care if we were last.” Kathryn reminds us, “It’s a walk, not a race.”

Kathryn (far right) and teammates

At the 2015 Atlanta 3-Day, Julie Hipple, a five-time walker and a stage IV breast cancer survivor, was our inspirational camp speaker on Friday night, sharing her experience with metastatic disease and Komen’s impact on her treatment. On Saturday, Julie continued to inspire her fellow Atlanta 3-Dayers by raising the last walker flag at the end of Day 2. She describes that day as “Awesome, exhausting, memorable. My feet were sore from kicking cancer’s butt all day!” For someone who has had such an emotional and personal connection with breast cancer, the experience of walking into camp and raising the flag was, as Julie put it, “Amazing! Being a stage IV survivor, every step is an accomplishment. Walking into camp was like going home…to my 3-Day family!” Julie will be walking this year in San Diego for the first time. She also shared this very important message: “I always support the 3-Day event specifically because 75% [of net proceeds raised] goes to support research, which is literally keeping me alive. The treatment I’m on now is a new drug that is a result of Komen research dollars at work!”

Julie (middle)

On Day 3, walkers end at the Participant Finish Area before heading into Closing as one big group, but we still announce and celebrate the arrival of the last walkers. At the Philadelphia 3-Day last year, the last walker on Day 3 was none other than Aubrey Cushing, our very own Seattle 3-Day coach. Philly was her 8^th 3-Day (she’ll be walking there again this year for #9), and she says this about her condition as she neared the end of her 60 miles last year: “It was so hard. My feet were blistered and bleeding. I finally decided to take off my shoes and walk barefoot the last five miles into closing.” Aubrey told me about what continued to push her through to the end: “I loved the Philadelphia community, so that made it much easier to endure the mileage. Besides that, I had a great teammate that walked almost every step of the way with me. Towards the end of the day, the three of us on my team made sure we held hands and crossed the finish line together. My husband, two sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, nieces and nephew were all there, plus all of the crew and other walkers. It was the most magnificent moment ever. I was walking for a friend of the family who was going through a difficult battle with breast cancer. All weekend long when it got tough to walk, I kept thinking, “Vanessa Strong, Vanessa Strong, Vanessa Strong.” Vanessa is a thriving survivor today and I am so inspired by her strength when things got tough.”

Aubrey (center), hand in hand with her teammates.

Whether you’re the first walker to finish, the last walker, or one of the thousands somewhere in between, every step you take is bringing about tremendous impact and making a difference. And whether you raise the flag or cheer for someone else who does, every one of us can share in celebrating the small victory of being one day closer to ending breast cancer.

Getting Down to the Business of Fighting Back – Carla’s Story

Carla Kelley, who will be walking the 3-Day for the fifth time in San Diego this November, shared her inspiring story with us. #WeAreThe3Day

“In January 2006, at the age of 34, I felt I finally had it all. I had a wonderful man, a career that I loved and I was pregnant for the first time. In my book, things couldn’t have been better. Then on February 14, 2006, at my first pre-natal visit, a lump was found in my breast. I was scheduled right away for an ultrasound and biopsy. I thought, “It can’t be breast cancer, I’m pregnant!”

“But breast cancer doesn’t care who you are. It doesn’t care if you’re young or old, rich or poor. It doesn’t care about the color of your skin or even if you’re a male or female. And it certainly doesn’t care if you’re pregnant.

“When the doctor told me that I did have breast cancer, my perfect little world came crashing down all around me and I was in complete shock. But I bounced back quickly and started getting down to the business of fighting back. I was assigned my own small army of specialists in oncology and obstetrics and we began researching treatment options. The fact that I was pregnant was going to be a challenge, as was determining what treatments I could or could not receive. Within two weeks we were able to find the answers we were looking for and on April 3, 2006, when I was well into my second trimester, I had surgery to remove the tumor.

“My surgery went well and the baby was doing great. As soon I healed from surgery I began a chemotherapy treatment that my doctors and I determined would not harm my baby. My obstetrician monitored the baby weekly during and after my treatment and she came through everything beautifully. The chemotherapy however took a toll on me and my body. I went into labor early and Hannah was born on August 9, 2006 at 35 weeks. She weighed in at 4 pounds and 13 ounces, but thankfully there were no complications whatsoever! Carla Kelley

“After giving birth I had one more surgery to make sure my margins were clear, then finished my chemotherapy. Six weeks of radiation soon followed and finally all of my treatments were at an end. I was both relieved and scared at the same time. No more poking, no more prodding, and no more being zapped…but wait, if I’m not being treated, will the cancer come back?

“To help fight back against cancer, I started participating in the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women. I loved it so much and found so much support through participating that I began running the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Dodger Stadium, and started walking in the Komen 3-Day in San Diego. walk3

“It was at the 3-Day where I met the most amazing group of women and their families, and ultimately joined their team, Saving 2nd Base. Their friendship, love and support have been an incredible source of strength for me, more than they will ever know. I’ll be forever thankful for having met them: Shari, Karin, Barbara, Laurie, Carrie, Jill, Amber, Mark, Ashley. And all of the men behind these women: Bill, Rick, Norbert, Wayne and all of their children. Thank you and I love you all!

“I am now 10 years cancer-free. I’ve long since completed all of my treatments and have graduated to having blood tests only once a year now along with yearly mammograms. I will forever be so grateful to all of my friends, family, doctors and nurses for the wonderful care and support they provided for me and my baby.” walk1

Fundraising Challenge Throwback!

Today, we’re giving you the mother of all #TBT fundraising posts. We’ve scoured our archives for Fundraising Challenges that we’ve posted over the last year or so, and we’ve got some of the best of them here. You can also find Fundraising Challenges going all the way back to 2014 here. 3DAY_2016_Social_Text_FundraisingChallenge_1

Remember Your Reasons – Use your fundraising requests as an opportunity to remind your donors exactly why we raise funds for Susan G. Komen®. Ask for a specific and meaningful amount (for example, you could ask for donations of $50, which could be used to help transport a patient to a treatment session or mammogram). Or simply share your story and remind people why you walk, and tell them that you’ll walk in honor or in memory of someone they love who’s been affected by breast cancer. For every donation you receive, tell them you’ll carry that person’s name with you, in tribute.

Let the Calendar Lead the Way – Your next fundraising idea could be as close as the calendar on your wall. Find inspiration from the date (if it’s 5/19, see if you can get 5 donations of $19), the year (can you reach your 2016 fundraising goal with donations of $20.16?) or even just the day of the week (make every Wednesday a “get me over the hump” day by asking donors to help you reach the next hundred-dollar level of your fundraising). Be creative about using unique days to grab your donors’ interest. For example, on 7/17 of last year, we issued this fundraising challenge:

Yay, America! – On Patriotic Holidays (Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4^th, Election Day, etc.), ask your friends to make donations today in honor of their patriotic pride. How about $50, one dollar for every amazing American state?

Countdown! – A countdown is a great fundraising gimmick. You can ask for donations in the amount of how many days are left until you walk (you can find how many days you have left on the Home page of your Participant Center), or count down to some other important date, such as a birthday or a cancer-versary.

Anytime Ideas! – Some ideas are great no matter what time of year it is. Here’s one: set a timer for 30 minutes and see if you can get $100 in donations! Post the challenge on Facebook, blast an email out to everyone in your workplace, heck, you can even dig the change out of your car seats and couch cushions. Race against the clock and get to the goal! Or you can find more ideas or inspiration at any time of day or night by visiting the Fundraising Tools page of your Participant Center at The3Day.org/Fundraising or search for fundraising posts on the 3-Day blog.

Social Media Strategies – Most fundraising strategies can incorporate social media in some form, but sometimes you can use social media as the starting point. Start a tagging trend: tag three friends in a Facebook or Twitter post, and ask them each to donate $10 AND tag three of their own friends. Be sure to share your reasons for walking and don’t forget to share the link to your personal 3-Day fundraising page.

The 3-Day Spirit – Your participation in the boldest breast cancer event in history can inspire your donors to give. On your next training walk, see how long it takes you to walk a mile (for most folks, it’s about 20 minutes), then ask friends and family to make donations in that amount. Amp up the challenge by seeing if you can get 60 people to make those donations, one for each mile you’ll walk. You could also tell your donors that 3-Day walkers hit the pavement in rain or shine, and in the spirit of this all-weather attitude, ask your Facebook friends to make donations to you today in the amount of the high temperature wherever they are.

Use These Graphics! – From time to time, we’ve shared some snazzy fundraising graphics on social media, and you are absolutely welcome and encouraged to share them with your networks too!

1907501_10155701091610392_720080457638824751_n Get your friends, family and neighbors involved with bottling up spare change. Try it this weekend and let us know on Monday how you did!

11846640_10155885576165392_5183736746814051619_n Does your community have any big events coming up? If there’s a parade, festival or concert that will draw a lot of people, see if you can rent a port-a-potty (a pink one, if possible!) to set up at the event site. You can sell “special access” wristbands which will allow guests to tend to their…ahem…”business” without the typical lines or “yuck” factor that comes with more heavily trafficked commodes.

11959996_10155939915235392_7479659791687598527_n Set yourself and some friends up at a busy intersection in your community with pink boots, and when cars stop for red lights, go around and collect donations at the drivers’ windows.