My Mom and me.
Tomorrow, I’ll be walking in the 2012 San Francisco Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in honor of my Mom. My mom lost her battle with cancer on July 27, 2000.
My mom died after she developed AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) which we believe resulted from the intense chemotherapy she underwent during her stem cell transplant to combat her second aggressive breast cancer in 1998. That cancer had attacked 37 lymph nodes and they needed to pull out all the stops. Hence, the stem cell transplant. It was an instense battle.
The stem cell transplant worked (?) but came with a price I guess, and when she developed AML a few years later, her body was too weak to fight yet another epic battle.
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is a 39.3 mile fundraising and awareness event, where over 2 days, I will walk in a sea of pink through out the San Francisco Bay Area to help fight breast cancer.
This will be my first event with Avon. In the past, I’ve walked with the Susan G. Komen organization and done two 3-Day walks, one in 2011 and one in 2009. Our team was awesome, the Maidens for Mammograms and Margaritas and you can read about that here. I’ve also done numerous Race for the Cure events with the Komen organization. For personal reasons, I decided to switch events and walk with Avon. I’m really excited to see what this walk will be like although I’m not expecting too much of a difference. This isn’t meant to be a statement, well I guess it is… but whatever.
Bottom line, I’m walking to end breast cancer. As Avon says, I’m in it to end it.
I wish I didn’t have to walk at all but if I’m going to walk I’m really glad that my good friend, Rachael is going to be walking with me. My other teammates, my amazing mother-in-law, sister-in-law and cousin weren’t able to join us this year but I know they will be back another time. Plus, my amazing mother-in-law is watching my kids this weekend for which I’m SO grateful!
Rachael and Sara. 2011 Team Maidens for Mammograms & Margaritas
I look like a chipmunk in this picture but whatever…
So if you’re in the area, come on out and cheer us on as we walk from Fort Mason to Corte Madera and back again this Saturday and Sunday. Oh boy…
Here’s the route:
I promise to tweet and post photos as I go on instagram and twitter!
Thank you to my amazing sponsors and family for supporting me in this important cause! You guys are amazing!
Also, if you want to walk with me in New York or to support my fundraising for that event you can click here.
xo,
SARA