Tag Archives: Mammogram

Walking 60 Miles for the Mom They Lost Too Soon

Brooke and Kelly will walk 60 miles in November at the San Diego 3-Day to honor their mom who died from triple negative breast cancer.

This fall, sisters Brooke M. and Kelly T. will walk 60 miles at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego to honor their mom, Margie, who died from breast cancer nearly 20 years ago. She was just 51. 

“On the very day we cross the 3-Day finish line, it will mark the 20 year anniversary of the day we lost our mom to triple negative breast cancer. But it still feels like yesterday,” Brooke said. 

The Diagnosis 

Margie and her children before she died from breast cancer.

In 2004, Margie, a loving mom of three in their 20s, was recently separated after being married for 27 years when she got the devastating news. 

“She sat us down and said, ‘I’m seeing a doctor,’ and I got excited. I thought that meant she was dating,” Brooke remembers with a bittersweet smile. “But she meant she was seeing a doctor for cancer, and it hit us hard.” 

Her diagnosis came shortly after a mammogram. 

“She had a mammogram, and a month later, on her own self-check, she found the lump,” Brooke said. “That’s why it’s so important to do self-checks, too. Mammograms are great, but you know they don’t catch everything.” Margie before her death from breast cancer

Margie first underwent a lumpectomy, then a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Through it she remained hopeful and positive. 

“We honestly believed in her positivity and thought she was going to beat it,” Brooke said.  

“They told us she was in remission for about one month. Soon after the cancer metastasized to her liver,” Kelly added. 

But through it all, Margie was able to be there for some of her children’s most memorable milestones. 

“She was there for my sister’s wedding. She barely made it to my brother’s wedding, and then she passed away six months before mine,” Brooke said. “It was really hard because those are the moments you want your mom beside you.” 

Strength That Carried On 

Margie ran her own business and worked alongside two of her kids while undergoing treatment. She showed up for her clients, and for others impacted by breast cancer, until the day she had to be hospitalized.  

“The treatments were hard for her, but she didn’t want to show us how hard it was,” Kelly recalled. “She stayed strong for us.” 

Margie and her daughters even walked a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, a memory that inspires Brooke and Kelly today as they prepare for the San Diego 3-Day. 

Margie’s Marchers 

Margie at a Race for the Cure event before her death.

Brooke and Kelly are walking the 3-Day in November as Margie’s Marchers—a team named in honor of their mom, whom they remember as strong, joyful and endlessly giving. As they train for their first 3-Day walk, the sisters carry a mix of excitement, nerves and deep love for their mom who is alive in their hearts, traditions and memories.  

“We know she would’ve wanted to be part of this,” Kelly said. “We can’t wait to celebrate her the whole way and be with our families at the finish line.”  

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Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.

Friendship, Survivorship and the 3-Day

Lesleigh & Jamie at the San Diego 3-Day camping in their pink tent.

When Lesleigh H. signed up for the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day® in 2009, she never expected it would lead to a lasting friendship. Looking for training partners, she reached out to fellow walkers in her area and that’s when she met Jamie R. 

“Jamie showed up. Some other people showed up, too,” Lesleigh recalled. “But Jamie and I walked the same pace, we both have long legs, we lived in the same neighborhood. We just hit it off.” 

That first training walk sparked more than just preparation for the 60-mile 3-Day. It marked the beginning of a friendship that would help carry them through some of the hardest moments of their lives. 

Lesleigh and Jamie met at a training walk in 2009 for the Susan G. Komen San Deiego 3-Day.

Lesleigh and Jamie walked together in the 2009 and 2011 San Diego 3-Days, bonding over shared stories, laughter and a mutual drive to support breast cancer awareness and research. But as life got busy, they took a break from the 3-Day, never imagining that one day they’d return, not just as walkers but as having experienced breast cancer up close and personal. 

A Shocking Diagnosis 

In 2017, Lesleigh was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer after discovering a painful lump in her breast. 

“It’s like the ground disappears from underneath you. It’s shocking,” Lesleigh said. “When the doctor told me it was just going to be a bump in the road and I wasn’t going to die, I cried because I was so thankful.”  

Lesleigh underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In 2019, she returned to the 3-Day, this time walking with Jamie by her side, in her honor.  

Lesleigh and Jamie at the halfway point of the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

But then, in 2022, Jamie received her own diagnosis. 

“Because of COVID, I put off my mammogram for a year,” Jamie explained. “They found a lump that was the size of a Tic Tac, so it was very small. I was very fortunate.” 

Jamie’s treatment included a lumpectomy, radiation therapy and ongoing estrogen blockers to treat her hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative invasive ductal carcinoma.

Return to the 3-Day 

This November, Lesleigh and Jamie are returning to the San Diego 3-Day once again. This time, with even deeper meaning. 

“Lesleigh is turning 60, it’s my third year of survivorship,” Jamie said. “So, we’re walking 60 miles for her 60 years and three days for my three years.” 

Their bond has only grown stronger over time, not just through their breast cancer journeys, but through the unwavering support they’ve given each other.  

“She lifts me up. She challenges me and she shows me the way, not just the fight for cancer but for other things, too,” Lesleigh said, fighting back tears. “She’s just the best person ever.” 

More Than a Walk 

Lesleigh and Jamie walking near the beach at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

For both Lesleigh and Jamie, the 3-Day is about so much more than walking. 

“It’s challenging, but also so energetic and special,” Lesleigh said. “The Pink Bubble is like a bubble of joy, beauty and camaraderie. It just energizes you. The walking is hard, but the love and support around you keep you going.” 

Outside of training or walking in the 3-Day, Jamie and Lesleigh have shared other special memories together including Bunco nights, voter outreach events and birthday parties. 

“When Lesleigh and I were diagnosed, I was upset,” Jamie admitted. “But I realized this is why we’ve been doing the 3-Day all along. This is what we’ve been training for. I firmly believe that what we’ve helped raise over the years has helped us become survivors.” 

Lesleigh and Jamie crossing the finish line at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

To learn more about the San Diego 3-Day, visit the3day.org. 

A Lifelong Vigilance: 3-Day Walker Shares Her Breast Cancer Journey

Julie Staggs has always approached her health with vigilance, knowing that routine mammograms were not just a precaution, but a necessity because of her family’s history with breast cancer. Along with her mother, Julie’s grandmother and aunts have all had the disease. “For me it wasn’t a matter of if, but when,” she said.

Julie’s breast cancer diagnosis came in July 2023 after a routine mammogram. She was told she had stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma. However, a second diagnosis was coming. One tumor was found on the mammogram, while a second tumor was discovered when Julie was in surgery.

“It was shocking when they found it,” Julie said referring to the additional tumor. “It was invasive lobular cancer which is known for not showing up on mammograms.”

Julie received more unusual news when she did genetic testing and learned she was negative for BRCA inherited gene mutations.

“My oncologist was blown away by my genetic testing results. She ordered a comprehensive genetic panel to pinpoint the genetic marker that could indicate the cancer, but there was nothing found,” Julie recalled. “So, it’s not that it’s not a genetic factor, it could be that researchers haven’t found it yet.”

When Julie, a 55-year-old registered nurse, received her breast cancer diagnoses she didn’t panic. Instead, she switched on her nurse brain. “I thought to myself, ‘Okay, let’s do this and I started going through and sorting out all the things I had to do.’”

Julie decided to have a double mastectomy in September 2023 and later had additional surgeries for breast reconstruction. In December 2023 she had a hysterectomy and oophorectomy because her breast cancer was estrogen and progesterone receptor-positive, HER2-negative. “My interest was in removing any kind of estrogen that the cancer could feed off,” Julie said. She is also taking tamoxifen for the next five years to help reduce her chances of a cancer recurrence and deals with the side effects of the medication which include joint and bone pain.

Even as Julie was navigating her treatment plan, she knew she had to take action. So, she signed up and started training for her second time walking 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego. She participated for the first time in 2007 in support of her mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s, and in November 2024, she walked for herself and other loved ones.

Julie said despite what her body was going through, she still needed to walk in the 3-Day to lend her support to others.

“My mother is now 84 and is a breast cancer survivor. But recently a few of my sorority sisters found out they had breast cancer,” Julie said, fighting back tears. “And so really it’s the realization that this is very close to home, and I just need to do something.”

Julie’s 3-Day team, “The Rack Pack,” consisted of six teammates made up of her lifelong friends and sorority sisters some from San Diego, and others who traveled to the event from Alaska and New Mexico. They raised more than $9,000.

Julie credits a good recovery plan from her surgeries for being able to prepare for the 60-mile walk. She urged others to take part in a 3-Day event and said while it may seem daunting, it goes by pretty fast.

“You just take one mile at a time and you’re talking and chatting and looking at the great scenery and before you know it, you’re at mile 20,” she said.

The Komen 3-Day is an annual three-day up to 60-mile fundraising walk to end breast cancer held in Boston, Denver, Dallas and San Diego. Since 2003, participants have raised more than $915 million to support Komen’s work to end breast cancer. Visit www.the3day.org to register or make a donation.

Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.