The Inspiring Chicago 3-Day

The Chicago 3-Day kicks off in Northbrook, Illinois as walkers stride proudly onto the streets

We all watch the weather closely as the 3-Day inches closer, knowing that we will be at the mercy or the delight of the elements. “We’ve never had weather this wonderful!” commented one walker. “Chicago has either been hot or raining or both!” The sun rose on a temperate, crystal-clear Friday morning in Northbrook, Illinois, as the walkers, crew, and friends and family joined in the Opening Ceremony and burst out onto the streets, ready to walk the 21.3-mile course through the Chicago Botanical Gardens, Glencoe, Winnetka, Northfield, Glenview, and Des Plaines. Our gracious hosts at Our Lady of Guadalupe/Maryville Academy allowed the pink tents to pop up for two nights in their spacious fields. What a camp show! Dancers and singers both nights were top quality.

A team of Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day walkers gear up for Day 2

A team of Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day walkers at Pit Stop 1, with an additional photobomb

Saturday’s 19.3-mile journey through Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights was peppered with some of the most lively and supportive neighborhoods, fire departments, and police departments anywhere. Pink police shirts, Mt. Prospect’s great team of firefighters, Arlington Heights’ pink fire engine, The Pair Tree, local cheerleaders, the pink balloon arch. The list goes on and on, and we couldn’t have been more pleased! We were proudly joined by the Young Women Walking group for the day, and they fit right in, pounding the pavement and making new friends. Like so many in the past, this memorable Saturday on the 3-Day^® will be treasured. Thank you all for your support!

The Young Women Walking joined up with our current walkers for a memorable Day 2 on the Chicago 3-Day

Saturday’s 16.4-mile route led through the Lake Shore Drive area, but it was anything but quiet. Sunday in Lincoln Park was bustling with weekenders, and walkers were cheered on by individuals, a few Pit Stops and even a hot dog festival. The real treat, however, was the scenic entry with views of downtown, the lake, and finally Soldier Field. The pace had slowed by this time, for obvious reasons, and the gaits of many were stiffening after almost 55 miles over three days. It is this point where observers really start to see the rise of determination.

Downtown Chicago looms in the distance as a Komen 3-Day® team walks along the Lake

Downtown Chicago looms in the distance as a 3-Day team walks along the Lake

This is where drive starts to exceed ability and training. The last few miles of the 3-Day are often the silent struggle of participants, often reminding them of their own struggle over breast cancer or the struggle of those loved ones who have been physically pushed in their fights. Inside the stadium, alone, they often talk to me in passing, sometimes not really wanting to be heard, “If Judy could do it” “If my mother could fight it” “I’ve done it before.” Sometimes I take their pictures, and sometimes I do not. But they can hear the cheers in stadium, and they know that the end is nearby, along with their families, the inspirational Closing Ceremony, and their dedication to finding a cure.

Chicago 3-Day walkers are cheered into Soldier Field at the end of their 60-mile journey

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CHICAGO 3-DAY

Coincidence or Destiny?

Christa C. stops on the route on Day 3 of the Chicago 3-Day

Here on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day^®, I learned very quickly that I needed to be ready with a camera sometime between 6 and 7 o’clock for a very special event: The Last Walker. While normally the hero of an event like this is the first walker, Dr. Sheri reminds us at The Opening Ceremony that “this is a walk, not a race.” In that spirit, the last walker is celebrated like a returning warrior, encouraged by the entire camp rising to its feet, cheering, clapping.

Last night’s grand entrance of Christa C. from Chicago brought the participants streaming to the flagpole to the point that it was difficult to find my usual position for a photograph. Christa, a 7-month survivor of breast cancer herself, was accompanied by motorcycle-riding Route Safety Crew Member Karen R., also from Chicago. Why the escort? “I saw Christa at about Mile 15 today,” Karen almost yelled in my ear over the chanting crowd. “I noticed her shirt, which looked too familiar. Then I noticed her shoes. I asked her, ‘Where did you get those?’ She responded that she bought them from another unknown breast cancer survivor at an estate sale in Chicago. They were mine!” Christa, in her jungle safari hat with pink streamers agreed. “When I bought them from the estate sale, I wanted to wear them in honor of this unknown breast cancer survivor. I had no idea she’d be protecting me on the route!”

Karen R. from Chicago and Route Safety Crew embraces Christa C. who bears the flag of the Chicago 3-Day at the end of Day 2

Route Safety Crew member Karen R. from Chicago embraces Christa C. who bears the flag of the Chicago 3-Day at the end of Day 2

Call it what you want. Coincidence. Luck. Fate. Destiny. For Christa and Karen in Chicago, two strangers have again been brought together by a common cause, a touching and recurring theme on the Komen 3-Day Series.

Donna Lawson: Compassion, Community, Commitment

Donna Lawson was recognized on the Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day with the Milestone Award for her efforts in finding a cure for breast cancer

Donna Lawson was recognized on the Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day with the Milestone Award for her efforts in the fight to end breast cancer

When asked what was the secret to her fundraising success, this year’s Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day Milestone Award winner Donna Lawson simply replied: “I am blessed with thoughtful and generous people in my life who have continued to support me year after year . . . Some start asking if I am [participating in the 3-Day] again at the beginning of the year so they can plan for a donation later. I send letters through the old-fashioned US Postal Service with a self-addressed envelope and a donation form. My letter provides an update on the last walk, a ‘thank you’ to those who have donated previously, facts about breast cancer, and Susan G. Komen^® efforts. I always send a hand-written thank you note to each person who donated, no matter what the amount.”

Donna’s humble and personal approach reflects her personality and is likely a driving factor in both her motivation for fighting breast cancer and her substantial fundraising ability. Her efforts, along with her children and teams, have topped $100,000 over 12 Komen 3-Day events! “I am a breast cancer survivor, and I knew a few people who had done the walk previously,” recounts Donna. “After the first 3-Day our family was addicted to the feelings during our first experience and wanted to continue that as long as we could.”

Donna Lawson waits backstage in preparation for the Opening Ceremony at the Chicago 3-Day

Seasoned as she is in the 3-Day^® and in fundraising, Donna encourages new walkers to “absorb and enjoy” the feeling of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, to meet people and hear their stories and of course, to keep dry socks in plastic bags. She reiterates, “If you are not moved by the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, I would be shocked!” What does the Chicago 3-Day mean to Donna Lawson? “Compassion. Community. Commitment.”

Congratulations to the 2013 Chicago 3-Day Milestone Award winner Donna Lawson!