Tag Archives: San Diego

Seven Years Later…San Diego

Tiffany K starts the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego for the first time...after seven years

Tiffany K starts the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego for the first time…after seven years

“When my grandmother was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 1989, I made the move from Dallas to Oklahoma to be her primary caregiver,” said Tiffany this morning on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego.

“I was only fourteen years old.”

“My family told me to call them in Texas if anything serious happened.” Tiffany’s experience helping her grandmother through treatment must have added to her determination in life. (Her grandmother is now a survivor of over 24 years!) Seven years ago, she successfully registered for the Komen 3-Day in Dallas and raised over $5,000, well above the minimum needed to walk the 60 miles. And then a walker’s nightmare occurred. “I had an almost full rupture of my Achilles tendon just ten days before the event,” said Tiffany resting in Pit Stop 1 after the first segment of Friday’s 20-mile course along beautiful Del Mar, California. The recovery from such a tear can be tedious and exhausting, and it put her out of walking a 3-Day® for years.

Team members of 'Cliff's Crew' walk with new teammate Tiffany K on the San Diego 3-Day

Team members of ‘Cliff’s Crew’ walk with new teammate Tiffany K on the San Diego 3-Day

In the meantime, Tiffany moved to Playa del Rey, California, and decided that 2013 would be the time to finally walk the 3-Day. “I’m going to make this happen!” she said to herself. She knew, however, that the walk would be easier with team support, and so she logged onto ‘The3Day.org’ website and started to post to the forums to see if she could join up with a team. “Team ‘Cliff’s Crew’ answered the call for me, and I felt good about walking with them after having met them a few times,” mentioned Tiffany, as some of the pink camoflage-clad members of the team approached.

Kellie T from Rossmoor, California, and Jeanne F from Santa Maria were ready to head back on the route. “We have 42 members total on the San Diego 3-Day this year,” they explained, “and we’re in the top five teams for fundraising with over $85,000!”

Say ‘hello’ to Tiffany on her first 3-Day this weekend in San Diego and to her great team ‘Cliff’s Crew’!

When a “Once in a Lifetime” Experience Turns Into a Yearly Tradition

Meet one of our amazing 3-Day multi-year participants, Sandra Chiesa. Sandra was the recipient of the 3-Day Milestone Award at the San Francisco Bay Area 3-Day in June. She will also be walking in the San Diego 3-Day in November. Her lifetime 3-Day achievements include walking in 12 events since 2003, and a combined 3-Day fundraising total of over $58,000. We caught up with Sandra and asked her to share her story. 

How was your first 3-Day of 2013?
“We were a small event, but we had a lot of heart! I had a great time and tried to savor every moment. I had such bittersweet emotions at Closing, knowing it was the last 3-Day in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

What inspired you to take your first 3-Day journey?
“I had a few reasons. My grandmother was a breast cancer survivor. Secondly, a co-worker had passed away. Her death – and being so close to my age – emphasized how fragile and short life can be. I decided I wanted to do something bold. Something out of my comfort zone to celebrate life. When I heard the ads for the 3-Day and I thought, “Now there’s something out of my comfort zone!” I was not an active person then, so the thought of walking 60 miles coupled with the idea of fundraising were very daunting. But I also saw it as a win-win because I knew the money I was raising would make a difference! I signed up, not knowing anyone, but by the end of my first 3-Day I had many new friends. It was a very empowering experience on so many levels, and I think that is partly why I keep coming back! I want to help make a difference and hope one day we will live in a world where no one ever dies from breast cancer.”

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