The Decision to Walk Again

For the past few weeks I've been trying to decide whether to do the Avon Walk again. After last year, my friend, Carole, and I had said we would sit out a few years on the walking part and instead volunteer to help the walkers. We'd be helping, but wouldn't have to do the grueling walk and fundraising pieces.

Fast forward 6 months. I've had another surgery, been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that all my specialists say is "bad luck" to get the year after having breeast cancer, gotten bad infections or viruses 6 times in the past 4 months, and learned I can't have reconstruction until I can get the auto-immune disease in remission. Further, in the short time since I last did the walk I've also personally talked to or heard of no less than half a dozen women my age or younger who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

As I thought about it these past few weeks, volunteering didn't feel like enough. I still have something to prove to myself and I still need to do something to stop this stupid epidemic so that when my 10-year old is in her 30's we won't have to hold our breaths every time she goes for her annual.

Today I registered to walk again. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Three hours later, my friend called to let me know that her friend, the one who I'd sent information on biopsies to a few days ago, was diagnosed today. My friend will be walking with me.

The walking itself is really for us. We need to feel like we are part of the solution. But it is the fundraising that is most critical. The Avon Foundation is doing the work that is needed to ensure early detection for all women while also funding the research that will someday find the cure. Because, when it comes down to it, this just has to STOP.