Tina’s Story: A 3-Day Haiku of Hope and Heartbreak

Tina S. at the 2025 Susan G. Komen 3-Day in Dallas/Fort Worth.

When Tina S. submitted her winning haiku for this month’s 3-Day contest, she wanted to capture the emotion, purpose and perspective that is deeply personal.

“My mother is a 16-year survivor. She had two different types of breast cancer, one in each breast, at the same time,” Tina said. “It was really tough to watch. She was in so much pain, and I felt like I didn’t do enough.”

Finding the 3-Day

Three years ago, Tina was introduced to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® and her team, Pink Soles in Motion, by one of her best friends Nadia Martin. What began as a way to get involved quickly became something much more.

At first, she didn’t fully understand what she had signed up for.

Tina and her best friend Nadia at the Komen 3-Day.

“Nadia told me it was 20 miles, and I know she said it was three days, but it didn’t click that it was 20 miles each day,” Tina said.

That realization came during her first training walk.

“Our captain asked how I felt about walking three days, and my jaw dropped,” she said. “I thought it was 20 miles total. That’s something we still laugh about.”

Since then, Tina has completed the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day twice, but nothing could have prepared her for the emotional impact of the walk.

“It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” she said. “Walking alongside so many different women, all of these different stories, all of these different stages. I know what my mom went through, but this opened my eyes to so much more.”

The Meaning Behind the 3-Day Haiku

That emotional complexity is what inspired Tina’s winning haiku.

Tina's winning 3-Day haiku

“It’s not all sunshine and roses. It’s not all Pink Bubble. There’s sadness and tears,” Tina said. “The first year I walked with Nadia, there was a photo taken where she’s crying. She had plantar fasciitis, and she had to stop because of the pain. She was devastated. It’s just so many emotions rolled into three days.”

Tina said she intentionally reflected both sorrow and hope in her poem.

“People say, ‘We walk until we find a cure,’ but the reality is more complex, and that’s what I wanted to reflect in the haiku,” she said.

Showing Up for Others

Tina G. and friends at the Komen 3-Day.

After two years of walking in Dallas/Fort Worth, Tina is continuing her 3-Day journey in new ways. This year, she will walk Day 3 in DFW and host a cheer station during the first two days.

“The cheer stations are what kept me going,” she said. “Now I want to be that support for others.”

But it’s the emotion of the 3-Day’s Closing Ceremony that continues to bring her back.

“There were women I walked with who I knew wouldn’t be there the next year,” Tina said in tears. “That’s the hardest reality. I’m grateful my mom is a survivor, but not everyone is. That’s why I keep showing up … for those people who can’t come back.”

Tina will also be walking the Tampa Bay 3-Day in 2027 and hopes to continue expanding her participation in the years to come.

“I want to experience every part of the 3-Day,” she added. “I’d love to volunteer, too.”

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

Embracing the Pink Bubble in the Midst of Grief

Erin P. walks the 3-Day for her mother, Bernadette.

This year, Erin P. experienced the kind of heartbreak most people can’t imagine —losing both of her parents just seven weeks apart. Her father passed away first, following years of health challenges, including cancer. Her mother, Bernadette, a two-time breast cancer survivor, died shortly after.

In the midst of navigating her grief, Erin came across the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® and felt inspired to participate for the first time as a way to honor her mother’s strength and resilience amid the relentlessness of breast cancer.

“My parents were fighters. They really were,” Erin said, tears falling from her eyes. “When I saw something about the 3-Day right after my mom died, I knew I wanted to do it.”

Breast Cancer

Bernadette died from metastatic breast cancer

To understand what led Erin to the 3-Day, you have to go back to 2017. That’s when Bernadette was first diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer. She underwent a lumpectomy, followed by radiation therapy and oral chemotherapy medication.

“After that, the doctors told my mom she was cancer-free, so we marched on with our lives and everything was going so well,” Erin recalled.

Bernadette and her husband

During that time, Erin gave birth to her son, Thomas. He was her parents’ only grandson. But in 2021, Bernadette was diagnosed again, this time with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer. The treatment was grueling. Bernadette had a double mastectomy, more chemotherapy and another bout of radiation therapy which caused a painful wound.

“The burn on her chest from the radiation started off as the size of a quarter, and it kept getting bigger,” Erin explained. “My dad had to do wound care for her, and she later needed a skin graft surgery.”

Despite the physical toll, Erin and her parents moved from New York to Florida to be closer to her sister, who had recently gotten engaged. Erin said for a while, her mom seemed to be doing better. After completing treatment, her scans showed no signs of breast cancer.

Bernadette and her husband In October 2023, Erin’s parents celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary, a milestone that reflected decades of devotion, love and shared medical challenges.

But their joy was short-lived. Soon after, Bernadette received more devastating news. Her breast cancer returned and had metastasized to her bones. Despite the diagnosis, Bernadette was able to spend two more holiday seasons with her family, as well as be at her daughter, Tara’s, wedding.

Erin P. and her family celebrating Christmas before her parents died. But earlier this year, both Bernadette and her husband’s health declined, and they were hospitalized at separate times. Erin and her sister were there for each of them. In a final, tender moment, Bernadette had the chance to say goodbye to her husband before he passed away. She followed seven weeks later.

The 3-Day

The weeks that followed were filled with heavy grief for Erin, but also reflection. She organized a beautiful memorial service where she handed out pink breast cancer awareness ribbons in honor of her mom.

First-time walker Erin P. at the Denver 3-Day.

Then a few months later, she boarded a plane from Florida to the Denver 3-Day.

“I went to the 3-Day with minimal expectations, no training. I just wanted to honor my mom, and my dad too,” Erin said. “I took the extra pink ribbons I had from the memorial, and I gave them to the volunteers, crew and walkers and I told them about my mom.”

Despite a foot injury that prevented her from walking the full route, Erin was determined to finish. She walked as much as she could, and when she reached the final stretch, her son and husband were waiting to cheer her on.

“I really wanted to make sure I finished for my mom.,” she said, “I took my son’s hand, and we crossed the finish line together. It was beautiful. I was so emotional thinking about my mom and my dad and everybody who has gone through breast cancer.”

Erin P. was honored at the Denver 3-Day Celebration of Champions.

To Erin’s surprise, she was honored with the “Best Tug Your Heartstrings Story” award at the Denver 3-Day Celebration of Champions. She’s already fundraising and preparing to walk again, this time at the Tampa Bay 3-Day in 2027.

“The Pink Bubble was overwhelming in the best way,” Erin said. “I got so many hugs from strangers who are part of this big, beautiful community. I’m just so glad I jumped into the 3-Day when I needed it most.”

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Statements and opinions expressed are that 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.

Tampa Bay 3-Day: “Piece of the Miracle”

After less than 24 hours after the Susan G. Komen Tampa Bay 3-Day wrapped up for 2013, I heard from a participant who described her experience as a “piece of the miracle” of the Komen 3-Day. That seems to have summed up so many personal stories that combined to make the experience of the Tampa Bay 3-Day this year. From the glorious sunrise at Opening Ceremony on Friday morning to the seaside Spa Park Closing Ceremony, I witnessed one team after another and one walker after another accomplish more than they ever thought possible. A wheelchair was pushed for 60 miles. Many conquered the challenge for the first time ever, to their own amazement. So many reaffirmed their strength over past and present breast cancer.

With blue skies and a light breeze, the participants were eager to carry the banners over the bridges that dotted the course of three days. “Hope.” “My Sister.” “Optimism.” The firefighters, police, and ambulance services of Clearwater, Seminole, and Pinellas County were only a few who showed their strong support for the 3-Day®, lifting walkers into the air for photos, passing out pink Italian ice, and donning pink uniforms. So many showed their support on the final stretches of Day 1 and the cheering stations of Day 2 and Day 3.

The Camp Shows were a time to rest, to be entertained, and to be inspired. Kimberly Crist was recognized for her seven years of participation and over $69,640 raised to date for the fight against breast cancer. The crowd came to its feet with her acceptance of the Milestone Award on Friday night. Touching speeches by Elise M, Sonja A, and Charlie M, gave the Tampa Bay walkers time to reflect and be inspired by these wonderful people. Camp Show is never complete without the Youth Corps, both for their words and their dance skills. (And thank you to the brave souls who rocked the house during karaoke. You know who you are!)

After a shorter 15.3-mile third day, and after a beautiful stretch of bayside walking, an emotional Closing Ceremony at Spa Park kicked off. The faces of hundreds of dedicated walkers and crew members beamed in the afternoon sunshine surrounded by the beautiful bay. The individual stories looking back at the stage represented so many personal histories of triumph, ‘pieces’ making up the miracle of the Tampa Bay 3-Day.

Thank you Florida walkers!

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS