Carl B.’s Journey to His 40th 3-Day

Carl B. and his fellow 3-Day walkers in Dallas.

When Carl B. first signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in 2006, he had a deeply personal reason for participating. Nearly two decades later, he’s still showing up, even though the circumstances that first brought him to the event have changed.

“I did my first 3-Day in Boston two years after my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, but when we separated, I questioned if this was still my mission,” Carl said.

As he thought about that question, he found out that Teresa, a friend he had met through the 3-Day community, had passed away. Seeing her last Facebook post felt like a sign.

“She left this poignant last Facebook post. I still go back and look at it for inspiration every so often. It’s still there, 12 years later,” Carl said. “She told her friends and family about hospice and about trying to keep her comfortable, and she ended it with, ‘I pray for better treatments.’”

Carl B. also creates art inspired by his 3-Day journey.

Carl’s artwork inspired by the 3-Day.

Carl said Teresa’s words reminded him that the mission was bigger than his own story.

“I haven’t looked back since,” he said.

Over the years, his connection with the 3-Day community has only grown stronger.

“After I got divorced, I had a whole new social circle enter my life. And Lord, probably 15% of them are affected by breast cancer and a few of them have died,” Carl said. “It’s such a huge factor in my life, and some of my best friends in the world are people I’ve met on the 3-Day. I just can’t imagine not doing it.”

To honor his friends who have died from breast cancer, many of whom he met through the 3-Day, Carl has a band of pink ribbons tattooed around his arm.

Carl B. with his pink beard at the Boston 3-Day.

Now in his early 60s, Carl is looking forward to walking his 40th 3-Day at the Tampa Bay event in 2027.

“I think that everybody needs to do something to make the world a better place,” Carl said. “So, I’ve been doing this for the past 20 plus years and I really enjoy it.”

Carl said being immersed in the Pink Bubble has also encouraged him to keep a closer eye on his own health.

“I do check myself and I try to be aware of everything going on with my body,” he said. “I think that’s really the best way to detect something early.”

Carl B. and members of the Pink Bubble at the San Diego 3-Day halfway mark.

Jessica’s Story: From Lifelong Komen Volunteer to Survivorship and Walking the 3-Day

Jessica P. and her two daughters at a Susan G. Komen event.

When Jessica P. participates in the Susan G. Komen Tampa Bay 3-Day® in 2027, she’ll walk with nearly three decades of connection to the Komen community. First as a teenage volunteer and now as a two-time breast cancer survivor.

A Lifelong Connection to Komen

Jessica became involved with Susan G. Komen® at just 14 years old while completing community service hours for the National Honor Society. What started as volunteer hours during high school evolved into something that would give her a deep sense of purpose.

“It was a really empowering place to be when I was young,” Jessica said. “I remember after volunteering at the West Palm Beach Race for the Cure events, my parents would pick me up and I would tell them about all of the inspiring stories I heard.”

Jessica continued volunteering with Komen in West Palm Beach, Florida, into adulthood. She got married, had a family and continued to participate in annual Komen events through volunteering and walking — often bringing her family along.

For years, she stayed closely connected to the mission that first inspired her as teenager.

Jessica P. and her baby at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure around the time of her breast cancer diagnosis.

When the Mission Became Personal

Then in 2019, the cause she had spent years supporting suddenly became extremely personal when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I honestly didn’t think it would happen to me. I had a 5-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter whom I immediately had to stop nursing when I was diagnosed,” Jessica said. “It was an added emotional and physical strain that nothing could have prepared me for.”

Just two years later, in 2021, Jessica was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time. Her treatments included a double mastectomy, reconstruction surgeries, radiation therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy due to surgery complications.

Finding Strength Through Community

Even during her most difficult moments, Jessica said she found strength in the women she had encountered within the Komen community over the years.

“Through volunteering for Komen, I had been around breast cancer for so many years and I saw the survivorship. I saw the women holding the signs that said 20-plus years, 30-plus years,” Jessica said. “So, if they could be strong enough, I knew I could do it, too.”

Jessica P. and her husband and daughters at a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event.

Giving Back

In September, Jessica will celebrate five years of survivorship.

Today, she continues to show up for Komen as a passionate fundraiser preparing for her first 3-Day. After spending decades hearing stories from participants and survivors, she understands firsthand the impact that every dollar raised can make.

“After I was diagnosed, it kind of flipped something inside of me,” Jessica said. “My almost 45-year-old self went back to being 14 or 15, remembering those stories and those women. It lit a fire inside me. I knew I had to help.”

Successful Tips for Fundraising

As Jessica reflects on the fundraising lessons she’s gathered over the years, her advice for fellow participants is simple but powerful:

Reach out to previous donors and always send a personal thank you.

Never underestimate the power of Facebook and social media to connect with potential donors and supporters.

Add a personal touch and share your story honestly.

Don’t be afraid to go out to your community and ask for a donation.

Use tools like QR codes to make donating simple and accessible.

Remember, every dollar counts.

Jessica has raised nearly $77,000 through her participation in Komen events. She hopes her story reminds others that every step, every story and every donation has the power to make a lasting impact.

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

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.