Reflections

I am so proud of Jennifer and how far she has come since the beginning of the year. She’s not been shy when she tells people that one of the advantages to signing up for 3-Day was to get in to better physical shape while raising awareness and money for a great cause. And let me tell you - - - she looks AWESOME!!!! Remember one of her first blog posts about going to the gym (almost a year ago) and her enemy the elliptical? I can vouch that 11 months later, she looks like a natural on that machine (she knows how to go forward) holding a steady 6+ mph pace for 30 minutes or more and she doesn’t look like she’s gonna pass out!

I also am very, very grateful to all of our family, friends and acquaintances for their generosity to the Sisters Saving the Sistahs! Remember in early March we held our first fundraising event, Euchre Tournament, we had a HORRIBLE snow storm that evening and everyone still came, stayed, played and donated generously!!

Next, we held our first Spaghetti Dinner & Trivia Night fundraiser in the middle of May at the campground and it POURED all weekend! And yet more than 75 people came out, camped, ate, played and again donated!!!

We held a garage sale, the end of April and after experiencing the Spring from hell, we lucked out and had perfect weather! This time not only did we benefit yet again from the generosity of our family and friends. But, we were touched by all the strangers that opened their wallets, shared their stories and wished us well!

In addition to the two "events", we also worked two Detroit Tigers baseball games running a concession booth. We asked our family and friends to sacrifice an evening to attend a training and then an entire Saturday to work the game. We put the call out via e-mail, Facebook and phone calls and got all 16 responses we needed within hours! I think everyone agreed it's a busy day, a lot of work but also a ton of fun!

Jen and I have trained for 23 weeks and we have walked more than 380 miles together. I have thoroughly enjoyed every step of it – the conversations, the quiet moments, the scenery, and the laughs. We grew closer than we’ve ever been, and built a bond that I would not trade for anything. I am honored to walk 60 miles next weekend with my sister, my best friend! Breast cancer has taken away too many sisters; I don’t take for granted how fortunate Jen and I are. We may get blisters, sore muscles, or road rash – but we will have each other!

I am very blessed - I have a beautiful sister with a heart & soul of gold! I have the most thoughtful, caring and tolerant family who made so many sacrifices to help a cause I believe in. And I have the most honorable and charitable friends who opened their hearts and wallets unselfishly (and were some of our biggest cheerleaders!) THANK - YOU!!!!

If you were considering making a donation...there's still time! You too can help put an end to breast cancer...I would love nothing more than to have future generations know this world without cancer. Until then I will continue to walk, raise money and spread hope!