Friday, October 10, 2008
I did it!!! Every minute, every moment and every mile! It was extremely difficult (more than I had ever anticipated) but it was all worth it, knowing that I was able to make a difference in even ONE person's life! Let me summarize the exhausting, emotional, and memorable 3 days...
DAY ONE (September 26)
We began our 3 day experience at 6:00 a.m Friday morning at Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills. It was amazing to see the traffic and even more amazing and breath-taking to experience the beginning of a journey that I will never forget.
We began opening ceremonies at 7:00 and then made our way out onto the streets of Farmington Hills.
We walked through gorgeous parks, neighborhoods and through two inspiring cheering stations.
We ended Day One in Livonia at Rotary Park, where we had to walk extra mileage just to get into the entrance of camp.
We grabbed our gear and set up our "home" for the next 3 days!
Once we set up, ate, and chatted we had "lights out" at 9 p.m. and began to feel the effects of the HILLS in Farmington "Hills"! I woke up at 11:30 p.m. feeling sore and worried that I would not be able to walk Day 2.
DAY TWO (September 27)
It is amazing how your body recovers at night! We woke up at 5 a.m. and immediately hit the warm showers. It felt so relaxing to loosen the muscles and it got me even more pumped to hit our route for day 2! After a fabulous breakfast we hit the 20.9 mile route through Plymouth at 7:30 a.m.
I wrote a journal entry once I got back to camp about Day 2 to share with all of you:
"Day Two. What can I say?? It sucked! The best quote I heard all day is 'if you are breathing, then you're still alive!' Ain't that the truth!
There was an impressively large group of supporters that came out today-especially in downtown Plymouth. It brought tears to my eyes as the streets turned pink (even a fountain) and the cheering filled every one's ears and hearts.
At mile 14, I ended up in Medical, where this wonderful lady taped my right ankle.
Even with all the pain, 4 blisters, a taped ankle and the exhaustion- I managed to make it back to camp after 20.9 miles.
The reception on our return to camp was incredible. It was all made possible by the most energetic group of highschool football players and cheerleaders.
Every day it is still worth it!"
DAY THREE (September 28)
Again, we woke up at 5 in the morning, took our warm showers, and then tore down the tents, packed our gear and loaded the gear trucks. It was time to say farewell to "Tent City" and head out for an amazing final day!
We walked through the beautiful tree-lined Hines Park trails and admired the leaves starting to change for fall. We continued the journey through quaint streets that were filled with the cheerful support!!
Houses and yards were decorated...
There were kids dressed up and were handing out popsicles, stickers and water.
We even saw dogs dressed up to show their support!
We made it through the grueling final miles and crossed the finish line at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, where we received our victory shirts and pink roses. 
Then, we took the emotional and satisfying last "lap" as a group of over 3,000 walkers and survivors. We entered Closing ceremonies with smiles on our faces, tears in our eyes and satisfaction in our hearts.
3,000 walkers walked, 450+ Crew members helped, Hundreds of Medical Staff kept us healthy, Thousands cheered, supported, and sponsored us through our journey! Because of everyone and all of your support, we raised over 7.2 million dollars in the fight against Breast Cancer!!!!!
My life has been touched and is forever changed because of 3 days/60+ miles and TONS of support. I hope your life has been impacted as much as mine!
(SLIDE SHOW COMING SOON!)
