Breast Cancer Walkathon...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Sunday was the Susan G. Komen "Making Strides against Breast Cancer" Walkathon here and Austin and I got up at 5am and met up with some friends for the drive downtown. We both had hit up our family and friends and gotten sponsors and money to be able to donate to the cause.
Breast Cancer runs in my family. So it is an issue we feel strongly about. I have lost an Aunt and Cousin to it, and have two other cousins who have battled and won the fight and are currently Cancer-Free. I have also had several friends diagnosed with it. It is an ugly, horrible disease that should not exist. I have such a hard time with understanding how we have not found a cure yet. So when I asked Austin if he wanted to walk with me, he was very excited and even donated his own money to support himself. I am so proud of him.This year a bunch of us from high school got reacquainted through Facebook and we learned that a friend of ours had been diagnosed and is currently battling it. So we decided to get a team of us from High School together (kinda a mini reunion of sorts) and walk in her honor and for all the women who have fought and won or lost. Me and my cousins who came out to walk...

We had 20 people who were on our team and we raised about $2,700.00!!! It was awesome! Some of my family came out to walk with us and one was my cousin, Susie, who is a Cancer Survivor. There several thousand people who came out to walk and it was amazing how many had shirts made in honor of someone who had lost the fight. It was sobering as well as awesome to see so many willing to give up a day to support this.

Austin and me in the front...and the thousands of people behind us...You can see the Dome of the capitol building behind us.

We saw some awesome shirts that people had made. One was a friend of ours we ran into there and her 11 year old son was wearing this shirt: Man enough to support my mom. (the back said) Man enough to wear Pink. Another shirt said: Don't let cancer take away 2nd base! (I loved this one)

The entire walk was 3.3 miles and they had cheerleaders and volunteers on every street corner cheering us on and directing us through town. And at the halfway point they had a water table set up. They closed streets and roads down for the walk so there were also cops at every intersection. Passing cars would honk their horns at us in support. It was pretty cool. They also gave away a ton of free stuff. We got backpacks, Pink water bottles, sanitizers on key chains, bells, lei's, you name it. My Cousin, Susie, me and Austin walking.

At the end of the walk they have tables of food set up for you for free. They had fruit, granola bars, rolls, protein bars, jelly beans, water and juice packs. They had music blaring on speakers and dance troops out entertaining.

I think it was something Austin will never forget. After we got home, he hugged me and thanked me for taking him. I have done it several years, but missed the last couple years. So I think this will be something new that him and I can do together. So if you haven't gotten your Mammogram yet, please call and schedule one. Don't forget your monthly exams and please, please check for skin rashes as that is also a form of breast cancer.

XOXO