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Ancient History
Breast Cancer 3 Day - Day 3
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As promised, here is Day Three of our 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk for the Susan G. Komen Foundation last year. Click here to catch the adventures of Day One and here for Day Two.
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S - t - r - e - t - c - h
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We started moving toward the camp exit gate and saw people in all stages of morning readiness. Here is one gal getting in a last warm-up stretch.
This is the view of the mass of walkers waiting to have their badges scanned as they left camp on the last morning. There were two people scanning badges. One of them scanned your badge and then gave you a hug. No wonder this was a slow process!
But no one was in any big rush and we had plenty of time to talk among ourselves. I happened to mention to the lady in front of me, who was from the San Diego area and a victim of the recent wildfires, that I had been down to the area just two weeks earlier helping with animal rescue. She said that she was so very grateful that the firemen had managed to save her house, when many houses around her had been lost. At that, the lady next to her said, “My son came down here to fight fires. Where’s your house located?” They then compared notes and discovered that the firefighting son had actually been part of the firefighting team to have saved the woman’s house! They both were in tears and hugging. At that I suggested they needed to have a picture taken and promptly grabbed their cameras to do just that for them.
This is our final view of camp and the meal tents. As quickly as they could get us out of camp, the place was being dismantled.
So much of time we were greeted by wild costumes and loud music. But just as often, we were quietly greeted by someone like this, a lone person, or a couple, sitting and clapping or just saying “Thanks!” We’d wonder how they’d been touched by this awful disease so that they were moved to be out in the early morning to lend their support. We were always moved by the people who took the time and energy to come spend every day supporting us. That’s why we walk!
I thought this was an appropriate place for someone to leave their beer bottle.
One elderly gentleman sat in a lawn chair in his front yard with a sign that read, “This is a spectator sport!”
This sign means that every 2 ½ minutes another person is diagnosed with breast cancer. That’s why we walk!
I loved this place – look how well they cleaned up their yard, and just for us, apparently!
The smallest residents of San Diego came out to support us. That’s why we walk!
A member of the safety crew.
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Butterfly and the bicycle cops
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There was quite a wait for a photo-op with the front of the bicycle cops, so I told Butterfly to get behind them.
Sara, still looking happy!
I found yet another dog in need of some love.
Butterfly found buckets and buckets of DOVE CHOCOLATE! This guy was not fooling around! No leftover Halloween candy from him! We found him the day before and I regretted not taking a picture of his offering. When we found him on the last day, I had to document what Butterfly declared to be the best thing on the walk. Notice she has her hand in the bucket of MILK CHOCOLATE. If no one had been watching, she would have just hooked the entire bucket on to my backpack.
Butterfly never saw playground equipment she didn’t like, although she prefers teeter-totters.
Fifinella and Maverick finally head to the medical tent at one of the pit stops. Her knee (rugby) and his ankle (basketball) are proving to be a problem.
This dog was a heartwarming sight – unable to use its hind legs, but still, thanks to its loving owner, able to enjoy a “run/roll” in the surf! Lucky dog!
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Butterfly holds still, for just a moment
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I cannot tell you how many times Butterfly had her picture taken once people read the sign on her back. Finally I took pictures of her having her picture taken. We should have charged for it, just to raise more money for the cause. Lots of people would race past, then turn with their camera raised, saying, “Would you stay still for just one second? I’ve been trying to catch you all day to take your picture!” Or they’d find her at lunch and then take her picture, saying, “Finally, you’re sitting still so I can take your picture!”
The rule when you passed people who were slower was you were supposed to say, “Passing on the left” to let them know you were coming. We would do that and then Butterfly would go skipping by. After that we would start to hear people say, “Did you see that lady’s sign? She’s 82 years old! I guess I can’t complain anymore.” Or they’d yell out, “Go 82!” Or they’d run after her (if they could) to talk to her. Then she’d regale them, when they asked her secret, with, “I don’t drink, smoke, swear or chew, or associate with those that do; all I do is lie.” They would then fall back laughing while she trotted on, saying, “Bye, kid,” with a wave of her hand. She was an inspiration to all who met her, all who saw her. We are a lucky, lucky family.
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time for more refreshments - yahoo!
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Butterfly, Tammy, Maverick & Fifinella reach another Pit Stop.
This generous fella was offering free breast exams, so Maverick signed right up for one. That Maverick, he never passes up anything that’s free.
Walking was tough enough, but wheeling yourself? Lots of folks offered to give him a push, but he always declined the offers.
The safety crew members were always cheerful. I wanted to steal their bikes.
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By the last half of the last day, the 3 youngest members of the Wing Walkers were hurting and were moving at a slower pace than Butterfly and I were used to. So I gave the Butterfly one instruction, and one instruction only: STAY BEHIND YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. I thought that would allow Fifinella to set a pace she was comfortable with and besides, we’d been told not to be in any hurry on the last day. What we’d heard from people who’d done this before is that if you get to the finish too early, you just stand around at Petco Park and freeze, waiting for the closing ceremonies that don’t start until 4:30pm. The advice had been to take your time, rest at the pit stops and take lots of photos along the way. Slowing down the Butterfly, however, was proving to be easier said than done. The last thing we needed to do was lose her in the sea of people and not be able to find her when it was time to head to the airport for our flight home. Finally, out of sheer desperation, I used my windbreaker to make a leash for her. It was time to rein her in, literally.
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She was not very happy with this idea, but it worked.
Now we were within a mile or two of the finish line and the crowd was beginning to go wild.
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pink, pink, and more pink
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Fifinella loved the “Men’s Legal Center” sign surrounded by a sea of pink.
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they were as happy as we were
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This poor dog is wondering why he’s wearing wings. What a trooper!
As we entered Petco Park we were cheered and high-fived and celebrated by thousands. It was a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, a bit of a let-down that it was over, a relief that it was over; a confusing mix of emotions.
Once again folks were on the ground inspecting their feet, resting, comparing injuries.
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hard to believe it's over
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We discussed our options with some of the crew members and decided it was probably best if we claimed our luggage and headed to the airport, rather than wait and participate in the closing ceremonies. We feared that after the ceremonies we would not be able to get to the airport in time to make our flight, given the thousands of people who would all be trying to get out of the area at the same time.
We claimed our t-shirts and gratefully slipped them on (they were long-sleeved and it was getting cool), and headed for the luggage in the parking lot across the street. Holy cow!
photo 41
Once we saw this, we were glad we decided to do this ahead of the rush. Can you imagine what it must have been like when 4,600 people were milling around here?! And then all wanting taxis at the same time? No thank you.
One plane ride later and we were disembarking in Sacramento. “Where are the cheering crowds?” asked Fifinella. I knew what she meant. After 3 days of constant adoration, it was a bit of a letdown to be totally ignored. What the heck???!! Doesn’t anyone know we just walked 60 freaking miles and raised thousands of dollars for breast cancer research? Doesn’t anyone care? Apparently not. We were back in the real world. Time to get back to business. We schlepped our luggage to the car and headed home. It was good to be home. It was all good. Better than good.
If you’d like to see some “live” action, you can watch a news clip from San Diego’s Channel 8 News - click on the “watch video” tab – one woman actually mentions being inspired by the 82-year-old woman with the sign on her back (Butterfly).
According to the news story, the San Diego walk was the “biggest” 3-Day walk in the country this year, in terms of the number of walkers (4,600), and the money raised totaled $12.3 million! Way to go, walkers!
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