Amber B. first heard about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® from an acquaintance more than 20 years ago. At the time, she didn’t know anyone personally affected by breast cancer, but something about the 3-Day drew her in. She’s been walking and recruiting new people to join her ever since.   

Today, Amber leads Breasties Forever, a small but mighty team that has raised more than $206,000 for the 3-Day.  

“For such a small team, that makes me really proud,” Amber said. 

A Family Affair 

Amber’s 3-Day journey began close to home in Dallas. In those early years, she walked alongside her mom. Soon, her aunt joined. Then some close friends.  

“It became a family affair,” Amber said. 

 In 2017, two women she had gone to high school with joined her in San Diego. One of them is the daughter of a seven-time cancer survivor. They’re still walking together in San Diego every year. 

Her aunt, now in her 70s, walked for 15 years before recently retiring from the 3-Day. 

Amber said the 3-Day experience has been life-changing and credits the Pink Bubble community for bringing her back year after year. 

“Physically, it’s a lot of work. It’s very humbling,” Amber explained. “It makes you believe there’s good in the world to know we’re all there in the Pink Bubble for the same cause and the same fight.” 

Walking Through Pain 

Amber’s commitment to the 3-Day has come with challenges. She has fibromyalgia, but trains year-round. She focuses on keeping her feet healthy and even keeps a walking pad at her desk.  

In 2016, she broke her neck in a car accident, but she still wanted to walk in the 3-Day. She was placed in a halo brace and was incapacitated for several months. While most people would have taken the year off, Amber had already reached her fundraising goal and was determined to walk her first 3-Day in San Diego.  

“My doctor replaced the halo with a neck collar, and I think I walked 21 miles that year with my broken neck,” Amber explained. “But I loved San Diego and I’ve been walking there ever since.”  

When Cancer Hits Close to Home 

For many years, Amber walked the 3-Day in support of others. Then cancer showed up in her team. 

 In 2024, Michelle—her close friend and teammate—was diagnosed with breast cancer just one month before the Dallas/Fort Worth event but was able to walk 20 miles with Breasties Forever. By the next year, Michelle returned as a survivor and braved the 2025 San Diego 3-Day that was hit by an unprecedented storm, joined by her husband and the team. 

“It was hard for her, but we kept going and we made it,” Amber said. “We had already been doing the 3-Day so long that when she was diagnosed, she knew she had support and that was amazing.”  

Then last month, Amber’s mom was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a terminal brain tumor, which further solidified her commitment to the 3-Day. 

 “I have always felt that if we can find a cure for one cancer, we can find a cure for all,” she said. 

 3-Day Fundraising 

A big part of Amber’s 3-Day journey is her dedication to fundraising. This year alone, she has contacted 76 local businesses asking for donations and is working hard to secure corporate matches from her network of family and friends. She has already collected several items for raffles to help her team meet their goal, and to help move the needle closer to a world without breast cancer.  

“I think we will find a cure eventually, but it’s going to take money and it’s going to take dedicated people to do it,” she said. “I plan to keep walking as long as I can and I hope more people will join me.”  

In 2022, the friend who first introduced Amber to the 3-Day decades ago reconnected with her on social media, and they walked together again in San Diego. And this year, Amber’s 25-year-old daughter Danielle will walk with Breasties Forever at the 3-Day for the first time. 

To learn more visit the3day.org. 

Statements and opinions expressed are those 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.