Tag Archives: San Diego 3-Day

Heather’s Story: Honoring a Loved One on Memorial Mile

Heather Bryan walks in the San Diego 3-Day in memory of her cousin-in-law, Kelly.

There’s a one-mile stretch of the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day® that’s especially bittersweet for Heather B.—Memorial Mile. 

Memorial Mile is a powerful part of every 3-Day route where walkers pass signs honoring those who have died from breast cancer. Each sign features a person’s name and a photo, placed there by loved ones who are walking in their memory. It’s both beautiful and emotional, reminding walkers exactly why they’re participating. 

For Heather, that mile carries a deeply personal meaning. 

“That last mile on day two is the hardest mile for me,” Heather said. “It is difficult turning the corner and seeing Kelly’s picture there on Memorial Mile.” 

Road to the 3-Day 

 In 2014, Heather set a personal goal to participate in 14 walking events as a way to prioritize her well-being.  

Around the same time, her husband’s cousins, Kelly and her sister Tracy, were thinking about walking the 3-Day in Arizona. Although they didn’t end up walking that year, they joined Heather at another breast cancer event in Central Oregon. 

Shortly before the event, Kelly had to undergo a biopsy after her doctor suspected breast cancer. 

“I encouraged them both to come to the event still, and they did,” Heather said.  

During the walk, Kelly connected with other participants and members of the breast cancer community. Just a few days later, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. 

After Kelly’s diagnosis, Heather set a new goal: she wanted to walk in the 2015 Seattle 3-Day the following year, in her honor. Even though Kelly couldn’t be there physically, she supported Heather every step of the way. 

“Throughout the walk, she and I were exchanging text messages, and she was giving me words of encouragement,” Heather recalled.  

Kelly responded well to treatment and then went into remission.

“I decided to come back to the 3-Day in 2021 and walk in San Diego when her cancer had come back and it wasn’t responding to treatment,” Heather explained. “She passed in August 2022.”

That November, Heather walked for the first time in memory of Kelly at the San Diego 3-Day. She has continued to walk in her memory and placed a sign for Kelly in the Memorial Mile in 2023 and 2025. She will do so again this year. 

“It was really hard that first year when I saw her smile on the Memorial Mile sign,” Heather said. “But the support from the Pink Bubble is absolutely amazing.” 

That experience deepened Heather’s sense of connection to everyone honored along that mile. 

“These are people’s loved ones that others are walking for,” Heather said. “I make it a point when I’m walking into camp at night to say every person’s name on every sign and recognize every person that is there.”  

Heather B. and supporters at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day

Walking for Many 

This year, Heather will walk her sixth 3-Day in San Diego as “Team Kelly.” Over the years, her brother has joined, and she has walked alongside other friends she met at the 3-Day. 

With every event, her passion for the Pink Bubble continues to grow. 

So does the list of people she walks for. 

“I carry a running list of names with me on all the 3-Days, whether they are survivors or they have passed away,” Heather said. “I want to honor every one of them.”  

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

 

Tamara M.’s Story: The Crazy Sign Lady

 

Tamara M. the Crazy Sign Lady at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

If you’ve walked in the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day®, you’ve likely seen—or taken a photo with—Tamara M., known in the Pink Bubble community as “the Crazy Sign Lady.”

Tamara has been a familiar face along the San Diego 3-Day route since 2013, but few know the story behind why she shows up year after year. It started when her sister walked the 3-Day in their hometown, and Tamara decided to cheer her on. 

“I came out to show her my support and that’s all it took. I was hooked,” Tamara explained. “The signs I made for her that first year were simple; teasing her about how many miles she had left and encouraging her at the same time.” 

Tamara M. creating her signs for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

But “the Crazy Sign Lady” didn’t truly emerge until the next year, when other 3-Day walkers began noticing her. 

“Some of them hated it at first, and I get it,” she said with a laugh. “The sign telling you how many miles are left when you just started can feel like a lot.” 

Over time, walkers grew to appreciate her presence along the 3-Day route.  

“They’d say, ‘Wow, you’re crazy. You’re everywhere!’” she said. 

 Growing Up With the 3-Day 

Tamara has lived in Arizona for the last seven years but returns to San Diego every fall for the 3-Day. Her children, now 10 and 8, have grown up attending the event, often holding signs beside their mom to support the walkers. 

Tamara M.'s kids at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

“I held signs while I was pregnant. I held signs with a baby carrier on my chest,” she said. “There are walkers who have pictures with my kids. They’ve hugged them and loved them. They’ve grown up with this community, too.” 

A Deep Connection to Walkers 

Tamara M. making her "Crazy Sign Lady" signs to support the walkers of the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

While some supporters eventually become walkers, Tamara believes her role is exactly where it needs to be. Her heart has become tied to every person on the 3-Day route and to their stories—walking in celebration, in memory and in support of those undergoing treatment for breast cancer.  

“If I walked, my signs would be missing, and I think I’d be letting the 3-Day family down,” she said. “This is my role. This is how I serve. They walk miles; I hold the signs. We carry each other through.” 

Tamara M. the Crazy Sign Lady at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day finish line.

And at the finish line, that connection is undeniable. 

“When I’m hugging walkers who are tired and blistered, sometimes I’m physically holding them up,” Tamara explained. “We’re both crying. That’s the symbolism for me—they may be walking miles, but they’re not walking alone.” 

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

“There’s Good in the World”: Amber’s 3-Day Story

Breasties Forever at the 2025 Susan G. Komen 3-Day in San Diego.

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 B. and her mom at a 2006 fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in Dallas.

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. 

Team shirts for Amber B.s team at the 2017 Susan G. Komen 3-Day in San Diego.

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.  

Amber B. wearing a neck collar after she suffered a broken neck. She attended the Susan G. Komen 3-Day a few months after her accident.

“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. 

Breasties Forever at the 2024 Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

 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.”  

Amber and Breasties Forever at the 2025 San Diego 3-Day.

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.”  

The Breasties Forever at the 2023 Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

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.??