Cate E. knows first-hand you need PERSEVERANCE take on a challenge like the 3-Day

Continuing our “Word of the Year” series, this month Cate E. shares her experience, on the 3-Day and in life, of PERSEVERANCE. Cate first joined the 3-Day in 2009, but this year brings new resonance and new meaning for her as she faces her own breast cancer battle.

Tell me about your 3-Day experience.

I did my first walk in 2009 in Washington, D.C. and proceeded to walk the next two years in D.C. Then I switched to crew. I crewed in D.C. when the 3-Day was in that city, then switched to Philadelphia and then to New England, doing both the Philly event and New England event in 2019. I’ve served on several crew: gear & tent, grab & go, and sweep, but most often pit stop 3. I’ve been a crew captain multiple times over the years.

What is your 2021 word of the year??

Perseverance.

Why is that your word of the year?

I have had the honor of watching women and men on the 3-Day in various stages of survivorship. Whether they are a survivor or the family/friend of a survivor, these individuals are all still affected by the disease. Seeing their perseverance has given me the strength to fight my own battle with breast cancer.

Why do you participate in the 3-Day?

In January of 2009, I saw a commercial for the 3-Day. I sat on my couch and got teary?over what I was seeing. I told my husband I wanted to go to a Get Started Meeting to learn about the 3-Day and sign up. At that point in my life, I felt so blessed and knew it was time to give back. I started participating in the 3-Day to honor my Grandmother Marion and my Great Aunt Eileen, who both died of breast cancer. In 2021 I will be participating to celebrate and honor myself as well.

What does the 3-Day family mean to you?

On the 3-Day, I have gotten to know some of the most thoughtful and generous people I have ever met. The friendships and bonds created on event are just as strong as those of blood relation (sometimes stronger). I have a core group of women who I have been on event with since the start. They were the ones I reached out to when I was first diagnosed. Their strength, support, and compassion, accompanied by some hilarity and hijinks, helped me cope with those first few days after hearing the word “cancer.” Their guidance and understanding are far beyond anything outside of our 3-Day bubble. I’m so lucky to have them in my life.

How does your word of the year connect to the 3-Day?

I think everyone on the 3-Day shows perseverance. From the walkers who are faced with blisters, heat, strains, sprains, and training, to the crew members who are setting up, breaking down, dealing with location challenges and supporting the walkers, to the staff who are juggling the demands of the towns, route challenges, the crews and the walkers—everyone on event shows a perseverance to succeed. This is doubly so for those who are also fighting cancer during the event. The perseverance of each and every individual working toward a world without breast cancer is what the 3-Day is all about.

If you could share a message with the Pink Bubble, what would it be?

Meeting you, talking to you, hearing about your journey and watching you succeed in your own way has been a blessing to me for the last 12 years. Hearing your words of encouragement, of thanks, of love, compassion and understanding have shown me that there are amazing people out there in the world. The knowledge that with a few keystrokes I could reach out and be surrounded by our big Pink Bubble and knowing that I can feel your love and be lifted by your support has given me courage and strength to fight my own battle. Thank you to each and every one of you who put yourselves out there year after year to find a cure.

We want to know: What does PERSEVERANCE mean to you? Check back next month for the next blog post in our “Word of the Year” series.

What the 3-Day Promise Means to Me

We walk because we must.

We are strong because the journey demands it.

Together in body and united in spirit,

We lay down our footsteps for this generation and the next.

This is our promise: A world without breast cancer.

What the 3-Day Promise Means to Me

The 3-Day promise means a world without breast cancer, but this promise goes even deeper for everyone who joins the 3-Day journey. It means walking to finding a cure, honoring loved ones, and standing together united against breast cancer. We commit to the 3-Day promise each time we fundraise to support research and care for breast cancer warriors. We act upon the promise we made with each mile we walk alongside our 3-Day family. It is a promise we make to ourselves and every member of the Pink Bubble. So, we asked members of the team: what does the 3-Day promise mean to you?

“Everything! The 3-Day promise is at the heart of everything we do here at Komen.

We walk because we must. We will never give up. We won’t stop. We will do whatever it takes.

We are strong because the journey demands it. We find strength in each other and ourselves.

Together in body and united in spirit. We are all one, bound forever by the same goal.

We lay down our footsteps for this generation and the next. We walk to help those who need it now and ensure our children and grandchildren have better lives.

This is our promise, a world without breast canver. This says it all.“ —Steph Myers

?The 3-Day promise means making a personal commitment to raise funds and awareness to ensure Susan G. Komen can continue to fund research to find the cures and provide care and treatment options for those battling breast cancer today. My personal 3-Day promise also encompasses the connection and commitment I feel to encourage and support the members of this community. We’re truly all in this together with shared goals and dreams for a future without breast cancer!” —Staci Roos

?When I first read and heard these words out loud during my first 3-Day event in 2018, I remember the overwhelming emotions I felt. I remember saying to myself ‘Oh my gosh, I am a survivor! I can help bring an end to breast cancer? I’m in!’” I will do my very best to raise money and will lay down endless footsteps to have a world without breast cancer. Walking is easy, fighting breast cancer is not!

Last year, in 2020 when all the 3-Day events were postponed because of the pandemic, I thought about the 3-Day promise and its meaning. Breast cancer doesn’t pause because of a pandemic and neither does the spirit of the 3-Day. I made a promise to lay down my footsteps and walk 20 miles on every weekend there was a scheduled 3-Day event. The 3-Day promise was my mantra before, during and after each of my walks!

As a survivor I know hearing ‘You have breast cancer’ are probably the scariest words I have ever heard. As a survivor I know the fight takes strength. As a survivor I have seen and felt the loss from this horrible disease. As a survivor, I will continue to lay down my footsteps for this generation and the next until we live in a world without breast cancer!” —Christine Jessen

“I have the good fortune of being part of the behind-the-scenes team who puts the ceremonies together. Listening to the 3-Day promise is my favorite part of both Opening and Closing Ceremonies. It’s a moment that unifies our entire community as they join together saying those inspiring words. It’s a powerful start to the moving experience they’re about to have. And then it cements their three days of participation when we come back together on Sunday and say it all over again. We’re all different people by the end of the event, so those words take on a different meaning.” —Molly Fast

?The 3-Day promise means we will never give up. We will fundraise and walk and crew as long as it takes to see breast cancer brought to an end.” —Tisho Jessop

We want to know what the 3-Day promise means to you! Share your story with us by using #The3Day on Instagram.

Meet Team Independent: A Family Affair on the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day

The 3-Day becomes like a family for many in our community, bringing people from all walks of life together in the fight for a world without breast cancer. Some even bring their own personal family and friends along with them to the 3-Day. When the 3-Day family becomes one with your own, magical and amazing memories are made.

If you need any inspiration to invite your family to join your 3-Day team this year, you can look no further than Melissa L. and Team Independent in Dallas/Fort Worth. Their team of family members and supporters is the perfect example of incorporating your own motivation and family love into your 3-Day journey.

Everyone from her daughter Alex and her husband David to nieces, her sister-in-law, and her nephew have all joined Melissa on Team Independent over the years. In fact, Alex has continued to walk while attending college, graduate school, and having multiple children. Melissa’s nephew Becket was a Youth Corps member who is looking forward to walking his first 3-Day this year. To say the 3-Day has become a family affair for Melissa is quite the understatement!

After years of walking and crewing with her family, Melissa is full of tips, tricks and memories to help you make the most of your own 3-Day experience. Whether you walk with friends, family or solo, she is a well of information. We’ll let her take it from here…

How did you first find your way to the 3-Day family?

I initially heard about the 3-Day back in 2004 on a radio commercial. I was five years from my diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer and my daughter Alex was in high school then.

However, we didn’t fully jump into the Pink Bubble until 2007. Alex was in college and my husband was our “walker stalker.” My husband is an avid cyclist and saw the Route Safety Crew riding their bikes, which got him interested. He jumped onto Route Safety in 2008! He enjoyed being part of the crew and couldn’t understand why I hadn’t joined the 3-Day crew yet, too. So, in 2010, I joined him on Route Safety with the provision that he would walk with us in 2011. I have to say that Route Safety was great fun, but it was so much harder than being a walker for me! So, David walked in 2011 for the first time and he has been a walker ever since!

We always walk in Dallas/Fort Worth. We love supporting our hometown and hosting out-of-town team members!

What are your tips for walking and participating with your own family?

Know everyone’s pace and capabilities and use the buddy system with teenagers. Empower everyone to stick to their pace and avoid injury both on training walks and on the event.
At the 3-Day, make a schedule to meet for meals or activities, so more experienced walkers can help and encourage the new walkers.
Make fun shirts and pink bling! Matchy-matchy is the way to go! Be “family proud.” ?
Train together. Training walks are a great way to unplug and spend time together. It’s amazing how much you can learn about nieces and nephews when you leave electronics at home!

What are some of your best memories from the 3-Day?

Being a long-term part of the 3-Day family, I was asked to speak at the camp show in 2017 and David also spoke at the Opening Ceremony that year. We were both proud to take an active role in sharing our story with our pink family.

Then in 2018, my husband and I walked with our daughter and teenage nieces. Our nephew was on Youth Corps in the same year. It was great to experience the 3-Day through their fresh eyes. We held up on Day 3 so we could all cross the finish line together! We were so proud of those teenagers!

That year was eventful, too! In 2018 we were evacuated from camp because of a severe thunderstorm. Since David and I are avid backpackers, we secured our tent before vacating and after the storms passed, we jumped back in our tent and it was warm and dry. It was seriously so impressive to watch the Susan G. Komen and event staff manage the crew and walkers to keep us safe and then to get us back to sleep before we had to walk on Day 3. Well done everyone!

In general, though, the best memories come from the friends we have made walking thousands of miles on training walks and on event.

What does “commitment” mean to you?

Commitment means standing strong with our pink family of survivors, co-survivors and the loving and dedicated family and friends of those who continue to fight for those we have lost. Commitment means no matter what else life brings our way — death of parents, serious illnesses, welcoming our son-in-law and then welcoming grandsons — we keep putting one foot in front of the other and we keep raising awareness and money to find the CURE!

What are your 2020 3-Day plans?

2020 once again finds David and I walking in Dallas/Fort Worth. Our daughter, Alex, will be a 20-mile walker as she will be giving birth to her second son before the event this year! Our nephew Beckett will be a first-time 3-Day walker this year and our youngest twin nephews are going to apply for Youth Corps! I’ve challenged myself to raise $12,000 this year. It’s a personal bold goal, but I think I can do it! Nothing can stop us!

You can join Melissa and Team Independent in Dallas/Fort Worth in November, or the rest of our 3-Day family at our other 2020 cities by signing up on our website!