The day after the Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure

All 6 of us walkers are back home now. I imagine each of us had a different experience these last 3 days. For me there were tearful moments, moments of pride, amazement, discomfort, gratitude for my friends who joined me, and even disbelief that I was there. I had moment of playful fun, moments of delirium, exhaustion and all of those moments were so worthwhile.  

Not all of the team were able to complete all 60 miles, though Angie was able to walk the entire route, Keisha, Briauna and Christine completed nearly all the miles as well.  We ALL accomplished raising about $14,000 of the over 5 million raised by the Seattle 3 Day for the Cure event. Regardless of how many miles we were able to walk, that is a HUGE accomplishment. 

At the start of this 3 Day for the Cure commitment, we all had doubts about being able to raise the funds. It loomed like a daunting, impossible task.  We all put our faith in each other and our supporters and pulled together. We each fund-raised on our own as well as pulled together for the successful garage sale and fashion show. Those two group fundraising efforts helped ensure each of us would be able to raise the required $2,300 and participate in the walk. As team captain, that was my goal and I'm glad we accomplished it! 

I'll have more to write in the coming weeks and days as I prepare to do this all over again. I have set up the team Keeping Abreast for the Seattle 2012 walk. If anyone is interested in joining this year, let me know and I will provide the team password and instructions about how to join. We can do this together! 

5 more days!

I did a final bit of shopping today. I got a long pair of pants, capri pair, and a pair of shorts as well as 2 extra work out shirts. All from WalMart as Under Armor doesn't carry my size. *jerks* When this is all said and done I'll do a recap of all the items we *needed for sure* to make a list for others to refer to.

My daughter and I are currently using the walker check list from the 3 Day participant center to pack.

Since there is a 35 pound weight limit, we will use our WII fitness system to weight the items. We will name our bags as a "pet", stand on the board and figure out how much they weigh. Creative, right?

We just found out one of our walkers is pregnant! Not me or my daughter, thank goodness. She's still going to walk, but intends to take it easy.

I do not feel entirely "trained" though I've sure made great strides these last few months. I did more uphill walking yesterday as a way to "Cram" for the hills I know we will face on the route. Leave it to me to procrastinate till the last minute on the hard stuff. When I decided this earlier this year I could barely walk a mile without really feeling exhausted. I've done a 12 mile walk, but time didn't allow me to really follow the training plan. I'll find out how bad I'll regret that in a few days. *alert: if you plan to do the 3 Day, make sure you have plenty of time during the weeks leading up to train as prescribed*

More Choices to Support the Team!

shopping

Today I was able to shop for some of the lingering items I knew my daughter and I would need to pack for the 3 Day. Thanks to many previous bloggers I was able to feel confident about what to purchase for my fanny pack. Susan Komen has a great checklist but real life examples and experiences are an added plus.

We were able to go to an outdoor store in Burlington, Wa and purchase almost everything we still needed.

We are borrowing sleeping mats and we have plastic for the tops and bottoms of the tents.

I still needed a light weight sleeping bag as the one we have today is heavy and bulky. I decided on a microlight sleeping bag that is good to 45 degrees and is very compact.

My daughter and I both needed fanny packs and water bottles. We also had to purchase ponchos, emergency blankets (according to the list, but not sure why yet), a small "camping" type mirror, some plastic travel bottles for sunscreen and both of us needed big ol' duffle bags which we found for only $18 each. HUGE ones! On the getting ready conference call - they said - we don't care how big the bag is and we prefer everything IN it instead of attached to it - so we went BIG.

We had to go to WalMart for the rest of our list - like moleskin, Neosporin, cloths pins, baby powder, water bottles, cheap wrist watches since we won't have our cell phones for time keeping, anti-friction stuff - they didn't have Bodyglide so we opted for Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder (which I read about on another blog). It was also like half the price I saw online for Bodyglide.

All together it was about $255 and this isn't a complete list. The most expensive items were MY fanny pack (about $40), the two duffle bags ($18 each), and the special high tech sleeping bag (about $40).

I also ordered the team "fight like a honey badger" T-shirts from Zazzle. Get your own!!

I'll give a full report on what goes well after the walk! Thank you fellow bloggers. I hope I can be a resource for newbies as well some day! 

most profound moment of the weekend...

Yesterday and today Team Keeping Abreast pulled off the most amazing "garage" sale and bake sale ever. We had a goal of $2,000 in fundraising and with our company match - we exceeded that goal by $40.00!

For me, the most profound moment was when I was "tagging" a facebook photo to thank everyone who had played a role and I just kept tagging and tagging. So many friends and family donated time, baked goods, sale items, spent time recruiting and advertising, came to make purchases, helped with loading up and packing up - it really humbled me to realize how many people were making contributions to help our team raise the donations needed to not only fight breast cancer but help ensure the 6 of us will be walking come September 16, 2011!

I must tell you, I am not an overly sentimental person - with strangers especially. I'm not the kind of person to GUSH about this or that or over-do sympathy (unless I really mean it) - I am genuine, but not "over the top" about all things. I try to be respectful of other's viewpoints, time and the fact that I know "they" don't care as much about "me" as I do.

Today, I surprised myself and had a most amazing moment when a customer of the sale asked if there were any breast cancer survivors on the team. There are...however some are less inclined to bring it up, so I told her, "yes, I am one of them". This woman reached toward me instinctively, without hesitation to embrace me in a hug - not one of those "oh you poor thing" hugs, but an uplifting, grateful hug. To my surprise -  I immediately warmly hugged her right back - and savored this emotional, positive connection with this stranger. I found out shortly after our embrace that her mother was also a survivor. The conversation was only momentarily about "cancer" and then we spoke of the inspiration of the 3 Day walk and gadgets and clothes at the sale. It was the most natural, comfortable and really "human" conversation.


It reminded me - we are all the same. We may be strangers, but we are all the same inside.

I. Am. Grateful. Thankful. For the experiences this weekend has brought me.

Order our official team logo on the shirt of your choice!

Fight like a Honey Badger by littlebird75
More Basic T-Shirts

All proceeds will be donated to Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure! Support our team. Wear our team logo to support us! It's pretty effing awesome!Wear this to the gym and see what comments arise. If you haven't seen the viral honey badger video...Google it and the logo means even more. 

Multi Family Garage Sale/ Bake Sale for Susan G Komen

The donations are flooding in for the sale we have scheduled for July 16, 2011 at the Boom City Swap-meet. All proceeds will be donated to support Susan G Komen and help our team raise the required donations to participate in the 3 day walk.

I must admit, my husband is a little frustrated because STUFF takes room and we've had to move things around and get creative to accept the donations we've received. Overall, he's been a sport about it and he's going to be very helpful come Saturday when we need to load and transport and unload everything at our vendor location.

I wanted to update folks on some of the bigger ticket items we will be selling. Remember, most everything is "Name Your Price"!

To date we have:

a working tanning bed!
a complete 15 foot outdoor pool with ladder
quad tires for a Polaris
shelving
Disney Collectibles
life vests
hip waders
a flute
small Weber grill
a nearly new full size bed frame with under-frame storage
commercial locking key box
clothes for men and women - lots of sizes
brand new in the box dog containment system
jewelry
bedding
brand new twin sized bedding
men's, women's and kids bikes
heavy duty locking 4 bike rack
newer sewing machine
books
and that's just SOME of the stuff we'll have!!

The bake sale will feature gourmet cupcakes, cookies, home made bagels, quick breads and more!

We will also have the quilt from Althea's Footwear Solutions quilt raffle to benefit Susan G Komen available for viewing and ticket purchase. Raffle tickets are only $5.00 each or 3 for $12. Quilts of this quality often sell for thousands of dollars!

Come. Join us! We'll have music, friends and fun!

Christine has raised over $2,500!

Christine has now surpassed the minimum requirement for walking in the 3 Day for the Cure through donations from family and friends as well as our company sponsored effort in May. Great job Christine! Just 5 more team members to go to make sure we can all participate in the walk! 

Half way there!

Two team members have now reached just above 50% of the fundraising goals! Most recently, Arlington Family Medicine and Dr. Lucianna donated to my fundraising efforts taking me to 52%. Christine reached that benchmark last week and the rest of the team aren't far behind! Overall we've accomplished about 40% of the goal. Great job ladies!! 

Keep it up!!

Great job to Angie who has now raised $400 with help from friends and family. We are each making our way to the goal...Keep up the great efforts. Together we can raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer.

Thank you Cobalt!

Keisha helping divy up the donations.

Thanks to the suggestion of a co-worker, Cobalt was able to help the team raise over $2,500 this month! Proof that a lot of people each contributing a little can go a long way! We still have close to $9,000 to raise as a team to ensure we each get to walk in the 3 Day for the Cure - but we are THAT much closer now!

My public "thank you" to Robert McNearny and Arlington Family Medicine

Dear Robert,

Ever since that September day in 2009 when you had the unfortunate task of telling me my biopsy results were positive for cancer, you and everyone there at Arlington Family Medicine have been a very important part of my life. I don't know if you realize how meaningful your support has been to me. Even though my cancer care was mostly taking place in Seattle - I would not have fared as well as I did had I not had you guys to rely on. I always knew I could call or come in with questions and be treated with skill, caring and compassion.

My health is returning. My body is healing. I'm feeling more like my "old self" every day. I never thought I would want to be involved with anything to do with breast cancer once my treatment was over. All this time I've cringed when seeing a pink ribbon because I did NOT want to be reminded. As more time goes by, I realize that isn't really who I am. I am a fighter. I am a survivor. That I can CHOOSE to help and make a difference is very empowering.

I have decided to complete the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure in Seattle this September - fitting since that will be my 2 year survivor anniversary. My daughter and 4 co-workers have joined me in this commitment as well. In order to participate, each of us must meet the minimum fundraising level of $2,300. As a team we have raised nearly 16% of that goal. The money raised goes toward research to find a cure breast cancer.

It would mean a lot to me if either your office or you personally were able to contribute and support our fundraising efforts.To "share" funds and distribute amongst the team, the contribution would need to be at least $2,300 (according to the official rules), otherwise, the contribution needs to be on an individual basis. Will you talk to Dr. Chaffee and Dr. Lucianna and consider my request?

Donations can be made online or via mail by making a check payable to "Susan G Komen" with a donation form. Our team website is listed on the top of our blog: http://keepingabreast3day.blogspot.com.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and your help and support these last two years!

--
Cindy

Looking for corporate sponsors

I've begun reaching out to businesses in the area to seek out bigger financial sponsorships for the team as a whole. If you have connections or ideas of who in the local area may be interested in helping our 3 Day Team achieve our required $13,800 in fundraising, please let us know.

I'm more than happy to get logos on team shirts for during the event AND our training walks in the area as well as promote those local businesses online.

It seems we are also in need of a sponsor willing to pay for a venue for the fashion show/silent auction. Many places are willing to offer a reduced rate, but so far none have been willing to 100% donate the venue. Put your thinking caps on and message me if you have suggestions.

What a difference 24 hours can make!!

Our newest member, Christine has already generated $500 in donations to help find a cure for breast cancer. Way to go! Thank you to everyone who is supporting the team in so many ways.

Several of the team work for ADP/Cobalt. A peer asked the man at the top if they would be willing to support the team and Susan G. Komen and they've agreed. In May each member of the workplace gym will be able to make thier membership fee payable to the Susan G. Komen foundation in support of our 3 Day walking team! Proof that a little creativity and tenacity can go a very long way toward wiping out this disease!

We've officially begun our 24 week training program. I personally am still healing from surgery last month, but I'm getting on the treadmill today. I will just have to "tread" lightly.

Leave a comment - let us know you are out there listening!!

New member!

Another participant has joined our ranks: Christine Rockney-Sidhu!

The Silver Hanger in Arlington - dresses and donations

My dear mother brought some dresses she found that were being discarded as her donation to our team fund raising efforts. The dresses were BEAUTIFUL. We just needed to find a way to sell them.

Briauna talked with the owner of a consignment store in Arlington - The Silver Hanger. Not only was the owner excited to have the dresses but she also agreed to provide a higher percentage of the proceeds since the funds were being used for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk. Very generous of her!

One of the dresses immediately graced the window display.

Thank you Jeanne and thank you Mom for thinking to donate those dresses to the cause!

If anyone in the area knows someone looking for great buys on formal-wear and other woman's wear - send them to discover The Silver Hanger. The address is 437 N Olympic Ave. Suite B in Arlington, Wa. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is 360-548-3292.

There is also a beautiful size 6 wedding gown we have since The Silver Hanger doesn't sell those types of gowns. I'll be having Briauna model it and be posting it for sale as well. If you know anyone in the market - send them our way! All the proceeds will be going toward the $2,300 per walker donation requirement for the walk this fall.

New junior member and training update

We have our fourth official member to the team - Briauna - my daughter. I'm going to have to update the link for donations as I realize this one only goes to my donation center.

We have Aimee, Angie, Briauna and Cindy (me) now! THAT's more like it.

I'm not sure each of them knows how important their commitment is to me and how encouraged I feel by their efforts and willingness to take on the 3 day together.

As for me - my training will have to halt temporarily. Tomorrow I have surgery that will enable me to drop one of the medications that I'm currently taking and hopefully pave the way for a decrease in pain in my life. I'll be unable to train for a few weeks, but when that's over, I'll be on the 24 week training plan posted on the 3 day website for participants.

Thanks everyone. I've had a few offline donations come in that I'll be updating online soon.

If anyone has fund-raising ideas - I'd love to hear them. We are expecting to complete a fund-raiser fashion show (especially now that we have our very own runway model), a bake sale (though I'm not sure what the best venue will be) and a multi-family yard sale. There's also been talk about partnering with Althea's Footwear to find someone to offer foot massages at her retail location as an additional fundraiser.

Leave a comment and share your thoughts and ideas.

Keeping Abreast Poster!

Hey there!

I finally got together with my mom to do the wording on the poster I made for our 3 day walk. We ordered the posters and they are on their way!

If you happen to know a business owner who might be willing to support us by letting us leave a poster and donation forms in their business, leave a comment and let us know. Or you can share a link to this blog *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*

Thanks!

Briauna

New Fundraising Effort underway

I'll be adding to the store over the next few weeks. Please bookmark and consider supporting the team. All profits will be added to the fund raising efforts for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day For the Cure walk.


make custom gifts at Zazzle

Seattle and sunshine

I just completed my first "at work" walk. I slapped on some dance music and hit the sidewalks. I only did 30 minutes - I'm assuming just over a mile - but, hey it all adds up - and I'm already down 3 lbs in the last 10 or so days. I

t's a beautiful day out there - and I soaked up every single ray of sun I could.

We have a new team member coming on board - possibly 2 - which will bring "keeping abreast" to a total of 4 members. It's amazing how much this commitment means to me and how much it has changed my inner dialog.

My public "thank you" to Arlington Pharmacy

February 5, 2011

To the staff at Arlington Pharmacy:


During the last 18 months you’ve helped me through what I hope to be my last major medical ordeal! Being diagnosed with breast cancer at 34 years old was devastating to me and hard on my family.

My family and I have been customers here since 2006 when we first moved to the area. After my diagnosis - our  trips  to the pharmacy became much more frequent.

You didn’t make a fuss - though you clearly had some idea of what I was about to endure due to the fact I was suddenly filling prescriptions for numbing cream to be placed on my newly installed port, anti-nausea medication, steroids and pain medication - all indicators of chemotherapy  - which I’m sure you’ve seen a multitude of times before me.

And so began a new and different relationship between you and me. One that has meant so much - more than you can ever really know. It’s one thing to “buy local” and another to “feel human” at the store where you shop. You each showed me compassion and understanding in subtle, yet oh so important ways.

This is a letter of my gratitude. Thank you.

I’ve slowly begun to heal, emotionally and physically. I’ve committed to the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk in Seattle this year. I’ve never undertaken anything of this magnitude willingly. I didn’t chose cancer, but I can chose to help fight for a cure.

Arlington Pharmacy is a cornerstone of this local community, part of it’s heart beat. You have given me so much; and I’d like to ask for your support one more time. Would you mind displaying this letter as my public “thanks” as well as a few donation forms to help support my effort to give back to others?

I have a blog posted at http://keepingabreast3day.blogspot.com if anyone would like to learn more about  the 3 Day, what it means to me, join my team ‘Keeping Abreast’ or show their support online.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you all realize what a difference you make in the lives of those in this community.

Warmest Regards,


Cindy Scillo


Here is a link to the pharmacy website: http://www.arlingtonpharmacy.com/index.php?p=staff

Ahhhh, much better...

My daughter and I just got back from Althea's Footwear Solutions in Everett, Wa. I am now the proud and delighted owner of 4 pair of my very own seamfree fitted socks with "coolmax"on the top for better air flow and moisture wicking.

Bonus while we were there - I realized my daughter would need better shoes for training as well. My daughter has scoliosis - which has caused her legs to be far different from each other - and we discovered the impacted leg has a bit of a fallen arch. In just a few minutes of observation, Althea was able to find an excellent pair of running (not walking) shoes for her, and modified the insides to create much better alignment for her. I honestly had never even THOUGHT how uniquely fit shoes could really help my daughter with posture and potentially even alleviate some of the back pain she experiences. She's trotting around the house right now with them on getting ready to hop on the treadmill.

Quest complete. New socks. New shoes.

I've just realized I actually need better socks!

Last night I managed to walk 3.5 miles - but it took every last bit of my umpff. My daughter said "When I do it I don't get that tired. Am I doing it wrong?" THAT made me laugh as I lay in an exhausted heap on the floor. No - YOU are just young, thin, and fit. Your MOM is none of those things.

I just finished 2.5 at a steadier pace and without as much trouble. I wanted to keep going when I realized my SOCKS had other ideas. I guess the value pack at WalMart isn't the best choice for walking for an hour at a steady pace.

Help! I'm going to need the assistance of a professional. Thankfully - I know one. Who knew there were socks better suited to walking long distance?

I guess I never had to think about it before. www.altheas.net That's the site of the professional in footwear I know. She'll be getting a call, if not a visit to her store tomorrow. I don't want to lose ground because my toes are sweating.

I've started searching on the web for advice from veterans of the 3 day. Frankly - it's freaking me out. That's how I know I will actually do this. I know it sounds odd, but usually the stuff I think I will NEVER be able to accomplish - is the stuff I continue to surprise myself with achieving.

I feel overwhelmed with the vast amount of information and advice out there. I've decided for February to just focus on getting from my 3.5 to 6 miles per day. I think that's the true benchmark for beginning on the actual training schedule. Considering I've doubled my mileage in just 6 days - 5 walking. 11 miles in those 5 days is probably more than my body saw all last month!

Even after David Garrett and Comedy Night....

I wasn't blogging last night. My daughter treated me to a David Garrett concert (Google him if you have never had the privilege of seeing this performer)and we didn't get home till after 11:00. Tonight - the standard fare of gambling - gambling on the comedy show at the Tulalip that is. Sometimes funny - sometimes a bomb - but its free and its a date night my husband and I stick to almost to a fault. Tonight we struck it big with 2 funny comedians and wouldn't you know it, my iphone was dead. I normally record every night. Might be breaking a law, but I want to get my (free) money's worth after all. I figured I would come home and crash as usual but my 3 Day spirit got the best of me.

I got on the treadmill. I only walked for 1.25 miles at an average of 3 MPH, but its still something - especially for me!!

As I walked and thought about how I could be in bed instead, I remembered.

I remembered how faced with chemo and losing my hair and toenails (yes, that really happened, but it was delayed) I just had to walk - I just had to put one. foot. in. front. of. the. other. and make it through.

I didn't know how being bald at work would affect me.
I didn't know how the pain of chemo would make my legs hurt so bad I could hardly walk at all.
I didn't know how comforting the love and support of EVERYONE - even that stranger at Applebee's would feel.

But. I. Had. No. Choice. But. To. Walk. Keep. Going. No. Matter. What.

That's what this commitment is for me, but this time by choice.

I get to CHOOSE to walk.

I get to CHOOSE to put one foot in front of the other.

I can't EVEN imagine how I will actually be able to accomplish it, but I didn't know how I would get through cancer either - but I did. I survived.

P.S. I would love my daughter (Briauna Mariah on FB) to walk with me on the three day. She can't currently afford registration ($65.00) and the thought of raising $2,300 is daunting for her. (Me too) If anyone is interested in at least sponsoring her registration for the walk - email me or comment here so I can put you in touch with her. I know the rest will come.

Day 2 - incremental treadmill success

This morning every joint in my body ached. I am taking 2 medications to prevent recurrence that are really dragging my body down. Thanks to the help of modern pharmaceuticals I was able to make it through the work day.

My oncologist keeps telling me exercise will alleviate the painful side effects. I think he's full of crap but this endeavor will allow me to find out.

I'm afraid to post how much I weigh, but I want my readers to understand where I'm starting physically. During treatment I gained 40 lbs on top of already being 70 pounds over my ideal weight. Thankfully I was able to lose that weight pretty quickly once treatment was over. BUT - I have not exercised in nearly 2 years.

After my painful day I wasn't sure I wanted to drag my butt onto the treadmill - somehow I found the motivation. I increased my time and distance. I walked for 44 minutes and just over 2 miles.

In reading the 3 Day website it says to start the training program you should be able to walk 3 miles at a pace of 3 miles per hour. So for the first 10 days of February that is my goal: to be able to easily walk 3 miles in one hour. At that point I can begin the 24 week training program they have on the website.

Please help me by visiting my official participant website. From there you can donate or join the team! Just click here or copy and past this entire URL into your browser: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2011/SeattleEvent2011?px=5757061&pg=personal&fr_id=1629

It begins...

Tonight I dusted off my treadmill and walked a whoping 1.6 miles in 35 minutes while listening to Lady Gaga. Somehow I got it in my head I wanted to join the Seattle 3 day walk to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. I NEVER thought I would commit to something like this - I guess wonders never cease. The walk is in September - fitting since that is the month I was diagnosed. I have nine months to take my 1.6 miles to 15-22 miles a day. I CAN do this. I need your support and encouragement.