In all the excitement that was my weekend I almost forgot the most meaningful part!
This weekend my mother participated in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk to fight Breast Cancer. The event began last Friday in the rain and cold of an fall Atlanta day and ran through Sunday late in the day with a celebration at the Georgia World Congress Center.
On Saturday we took the girls to catch their Grandmother chugging along. The girls had signs and everyone was dressed in pink. It was amazing to see the cheering station and the enthusiasm of the walkers. If I thought that morning was my emotional high for the weekend I was wrong! Late Sunday afternoon I wandered downtown to the finale celebration. I walked into this HUGE room and saw 10,000 PLUS people waiting to cheer on the walkers. I searched for my Dad and kept leaving messages to no avail. As the parade of walkers came in I knew I would neither find Mom or Dad. Somewhere along the line I realized my Mom was not in one of these WHITE T-shirts, she was in a SPECIAL PINK shirt for SURVIVORS. As soon as this dawned on me the emcee announced that here come the survivors. I made my way around the side and towards the front and tried to spot my Mom. While this was going on the ceremony itself was very powerful and I was tearing up. When they said it was over I found my way around a barricade of sorts to where they were letting the survivors stream out. Within 30 seconds I spotted my mother with her YELLOW Angels 4 Angels hat and yelled but she couldn't hear me. I made sure to get in her path and make eye contact and when we did the emotions just poured out of me.
I could not be prouder of my mother. She has overcome so many obstacles in her life and reinvented herself with each one. With this challenge she walked 60 miles in 3 days and even endured sleeping and camping OUTDOORS!
Mom, you are my hero! I love you and if you are up for it I will walk with you next year and you can forget the minimum amount we need to raise, we will hit $10,000!
Showing posts with label Breast Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breast Cancer. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 1, 2007
Atlanta 2 Day Recap
If you don't know about this event or don't support it you need to change that immediately!
http://www.2daywalk.org/site/pp.asp?c=evKXLjMTIpG&b=248059
Ilene walked in it for the first time this weekend and with the support of friends, family and co-workers she raised over $2,200 for various Breast Cancer Organizations around Atlanta.
I took the girls on Saturday to a "Cheering Station" to root Mommy and her fellow walkers on. What we found there was much greater. We found a community of folks all supporting each other to try and wipe out an insidious disease. We clapped for everyone as they went by and celebrated with the "10 coconuts and 1 tree" though they were down a set of coconuts and the tree was with me on crutches :) The girls got to see their mother participate in something meaningful and see what it means to not just give Tzedakah (charity) but to participate in Tikkun Olam (re paring the world). They were joined on the sidelines by my mother, who is a 12 year survivor of Breast Cancer, so it make it all the more meaningful in our home.
On Sunday we made our way to Centennial Olympic Park to welcome the ladies across the finish line and again we witnessed a huge outpouring of emotion. The girls' may be a little young to 'get it' but I know they will remember it!
There are other walks and other causes but this one affects almost everyone in some way or form and the neat thing about it is that ALL of the money stay local. Still give to other groups but don't leave this one out next year.
http://www.2daywalk.org/site/pp.asp?c=evKXLjMTIpG&b=248059
Ilene walked in it for the first time this weekend and with the support of friends, family and co-workers she raised over $2,200 for various Breast Cancer Organizations around Atlanta.
I took the girls on Saturday to a "Cheering Station" to root Mommy and her fellow walkers on. What we found there was much greater. We found a community of folks all supporting each other to try and wipe out an insidious disease. We clapped for everyone as they went by and celebrated with the "10 coconuts and 1 tree" though they were down a set of coconuts and the tree was with me on crutches :) The girls got to see their mother participate in something meaningful and see what it means to not just give Tzedakah (charity) but to participate in Tikkun Olam (re paring the world). They were joined on the sidelines by my mother, who is a 12 year survivor of Breast Cancer, so it make it all the more meaningful in our home.
On Sunday we made our way to Centennial Olympic Park to welcome the ladies across the finish line and again we witnessed a huge outpouring of emotion. The girls' may be a little young to 'get it' but I know they will remember it!
There are other walks and other causes but this one affects almost everyone in some way or form and the neat thing about it is that ALL of the money stay local. Still give to other groups but don't leave this one out next year.
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