Tag Archives: Pink Bubble Story of the Month

July Pink Bubble Story of the Month: Beth B. 

Beth B.: My Story— 4 Words Plus 1  

“A lot can happen in three days” has been running on a continuous loop through my head over this past week. May 12th was my first Mother’s Day without my mom. May 13th was the day phase 2 of treatment began. May 14th was the one-year anniversary of John’s death. It was an incredibly difficult three days for me, exacerbated by radiation burns in my throat which have made it very difficult to swallow and to eat. Thankfully, that has started to ease. 

I never wanted to become the story, but when I was originally diagnosed in 2011, I let myself become the story. I thought it was a way to show people what it’s like to have cancer, to live with cancer, and to live beyond a cancer diagnosis. It also lit a fire in me; a fire to fight, survive, and pay it forward. Every. Single. Day. Publicly sharing your story is daunting for many people [but] it is empowering for me. It puts cancer in its place. Everyone [with cancer] has a story [and] if telling my story helps just one person, then it’s worth it. It is all worth it. To anyone facing a cancer diagnosis, tell your story; tell one person, tell a friend, a stranger, tell me, tell ten people, tell 10,000 people… just tell it. Telling your story prevents cancer from being something sacred or secret and puts the power back in your hands. It also introduces you to all us survivors and thrivers. We are here and we can’t wait to meet you.   

My original story began on November 4th, 2011, with 4 words, “You have breast cancer.” 

“You have a lump.” 

“We found something suspicious.” 

“You have breast cancer.” 

“Lumpectomy, mastectomy, chemo, reconstruction.” 

“You are a survivor.” 

For the last 12+ years, I have lived my life as a survivor. I went to all my follow-up appointments, followed all the rules, I walked and walked and walked, raised money for the cause, [and] lived my life out loud. But there was always a sword hanging over my head because breast cancer is never truly gone. It hides. It lurks. It may stay hidden, [or] it may burst back into sight. It is a dirty, sneaky beast. 

On April 13, 2024, my story became 4 words plus 1, “You have METASTATIC breast cancer.” 

“There is no cure.” 

“There are treatment options.” 

“There are clinical trials.” 

“I will fight this.” 

“We will fight this.” 

“I am a thriver.”  

There are an estimated 168,000 women in the US living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and the 5-year survival rate continues to improve, thanks to advancements in treatments that help people like me live longer, and with a better quality of life. Kisquali, the drug I started taking last week, was approved by the FDA in 2018. To anyone who questions why I walk, why I have walked since 1997, why I will always walk (including this November in San Diego), why together we have raised close to $250,000, why Susan G. Komen 3-Day® participants have raised close to $1 billion—this is why. The money we raise goes to fund research [which leads] to clinical trials [which leads] to better treatment options. While there currently is no cure for MBC, people are living longer, better lives with the current drug options.  

I’m sure you’re asking where I am now.  

On May 6th, I completed 10 rounds of radiation to shrink the tumors on my spine. Memorial Sloan Kettering completed blood work which included genetic mapping of my tumors and determined I have no genetic mutations which means I do not qualify for clinical trials. My treatment was transferred up to Albany to my original oncologist and his team. On May 13th, I began phase 2 of treatment which consists of hormone therapy shots of Fulvestrant every three weeks. My current pathology is identical to my original pathology which means this is treated as breast cancer even though it is in my spine, liver and lymph nodes. Kisquali is an oral medication that blocks certain enzymes that feed my cancer which I started this last week. I take three pills a day for 21 days then I get a week off and start all over again. This will continue for the rest of my life or until another protocol is developed. I will also get Prolia injections every three months to strengthen my bones which can be impacted by these medications. This treatment protocol will be so much easier than chemo and with far fewer appointments. 

With this diagnosis, I will continue to live my life out loud. I do this for those who don’t want to, or just can’t tell their stories. This diagnosis is so much harder, but I want and need people to know I’m here if they need me. I want people to understand what MBC is and what it means, to see us Thrivers living with this chronic, not terminal, disease; and we will NOT back down.  

June Pink Bubble Story of the Month: Tammy Z. 

Tammy Z. participated in her very first Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in 2005 when a friend dared her to walk. She doubted she could walk 60 miles in three days, but Tammy had just turned 40 and thought it would be nice to set this goal. With three school-aged children and a demanding full-time job, training and preparing for the Komen 3-Day became her “me-time” while rallying around a good cause. Once she set foot into the Pink Bubble, Tammy was hooked for life. She’s since walked in Tampa Bay, New England, Seattle, Chicago, Denver, and San Diego, with this year marking her twentieth walk in Dallas/Fort Worth. She is so dedicated to the 3-Day® that when the event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Tammy and her team raised the funds and walked 60 miles together in St. Petersburg, Florida.  

Some of Tammy’s favorite memories in the Pink Bubble include family members participating with her in Tampa Bay. In 2007, her mom joined her for all 60 miles and returned the following year with Tammy’s daughter to serve as crew members. In 2013 Tammy’s daughter returned to the Crew with her boyfriend, now husband, as Lunch Team Crew captains at the young age of 21. To this day, Tammy recalls them being the superstars of the Tampa Bay Lunch Crew and claims they had the most efficient lunch setup in any of the 3-Days that she has participated in. 

On top of the incredible memories that come with each event, Tammy remains dedicated to the cause with hopes that the cures are close. Her Co-Captain and another dear friend both had metastatic breast cancer. Because of their incredible attitudes despite the battles they continue to face, Tammy commits to the 3-Day to fight for them and so many others until there are cures. She motivates her team by reminding them that it could be their dollar raised that pushes the science discovery over the edge. Her team refers to themselves as professional yard sale hosts, organizing two per year which raise around $1,500 each time. Their friends and neighbors are always very generous by donating great treasures for the sales and shoppers look forward to seeing what they bring each year. They have found that when you are holding a sale to raise money for breast cancer research, shoppers typically keep negotiations to a minimum. She recalls one year when her team held three yard sales in one weekend, encouraging healthy competition amongst the team members on which location could raise the most money. She recommends that all fundraisers host a yard sale and not be shy when asking around for donations since most people are generous to contribute to a good cause.  

Tammy has recently been inaugurated into the Lifetime Commitment Circle by raising a personal total of $100,000 for the breast cancer cause. She spent the last 20 years focused on ensuring all her team members reach their fundraising goals so they can participate with the team on the 3-Day. Having begun her 3-Day journey by setting a goal to walk 60 miles, she continues her goalsetting by committing to get her team, C-Side Sisters, to the $1 million mark. At just about $700,000, Tammy is confident that her small team will get there, one dime at a time! 

For those who’re interested in the 3-Day but haven’t yet registered, she encourages everyone to take her approach and just try it. With sweep vans plentiful on event, there’s always an option whenever you find yourself struggling to walk. By registering for the 3-Day, you are joining the Pink Bubble, a community who comes together with a common purpose amongst a sea of pink; though her team typically opts for a different color to easily identify one another in the crowd!  

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.”