There are times during training walks when you’re halfway through mile whatever and you realize that you’re tired. And sore. And hungry. And you think that no one would know if you just went straight home rather than continue on for the next 4 miles to complete the walk. You could still tell everyone that you finished it. But then you remember why you’re walking. You’re training for a 60-mile walk that supports breast cancer and you realize that no matter how hard the walk is, it is infinitely harder to live with breast cancer. So you Keep Going®.
For the past few days I’ve been reading a lot of 3-Day for the Cure tweets about how it’s too hot to walk outside. In some respects, I agree. You have to be careful when it’s this hot and take care of yourself. But most of the tweets didn’t have safety in mind, they had comfort. It’s not fun and enjoyable to walk 5 miles when it’s 100 degrees out. But what’s 2 hours sweating in the heat when you can come home and take a cold shower and turn the air conditioning back on? Our friends with cancer can’t get away from what makes them uncomfortable and causes them pain.
I started really thinking about all of this last night when I was laying in bed (in the air conditioning) and I went on Facebook and saw a post from a friend of mine, Karin Diamond. Karin is only a few years older than I am, but for the past year she’s been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She was diagnosed in May of 2009, cleared December 2009, diagnosed for the 2nd time in January 2010, cleared in June 2010 and diagnosed for the third time yesterday. It puts everything in perspective when you think of someone so young who has gone through so much. More than anyone her age, our age, should ever go through. It makes 60 miles look like a stroll, $2300 some pocket change (compared to the bills she has gotten over the last year ), and the 100 degree heat bearable at the least. This is not to say that what the 3-Day walkers do is an easy feat, because I can attest that the 3-Day for the Cure is one of the hardest things I’ve done. But in perspective, it doesn’t come anywhere near what Karin has gone through. What those living with breast cancer are currently going through, survivors and their families has persevered through.
I hope you’ll all take a few moments to read her blog. She’s documented every step of her journey in great detail over the last year. She had just started the blog in April of 2009 when she was diagnosed. Even if you don’t know her, write some words of encouragement in the comments. Tell her to persevere, to stay strong, to keep fighting, to Keep Going.
Tags: 3-day, Keep Going Blogger, motivation
Thank you for the excellent reminder, Caitlin.
What a great reminder of why we are all doing this!!
wow, well said! thanks for the kick in the butt… just the encouragement we need in the hot summer months!
Great reminder! We went on a walk the other day and it was 93 degrees, we cut the walk a little short because I was hurting a little much and we had our soon to be 5 year old with us, but we walked almost 4 miles!
I’ve been going through my old blog posts as I move things over to a new website and I linked to this post last summer when you first posted it. I have been reading Karin’s blog ever since. I had completely forgotten that you were the one that first pointed me there. So thank you for sharing! Karin is amazing and inspiring.
~ Kristen