My Breast Cancer 3 Day journey

2010 will mark my 3rd Breast Cancer 3 Day walk.

At the end of 2007 I had seen the walkers close to my house and I thought to myself, "I should do that one year".
Little did I know that "one year" was going to come so soon.

In May of 2008, I found out that one of my co-workers had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer and was going to be undergoing a double mastectomy. I was dumbfounded.
This strong, beautiful and amazing woman was only 28! Plus she had absolutely NO family history. She was not supposed to get breast cancer. Yet she did.

I wanted someway to show support for her. At first I cut off my hair and donated it to Locks of Love in her honor. But I felt I needed to do something more.

So I registered for my first 3 Day. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I was very fortunate that first year, as I had one donar give me all the funds I needed to walk.
I also found a team online and joined them. Team Walking On...it was one of the best things I ever did!
So I walked that first year having only done 1 training walk. BIG MISTAKE! LOL
The first day I met a group of girls, we were all pretty slow walkers so we walked together and shared stories and talked about our lives and we laughed...A LOT!
I managed to go about 12 miles out of the 20 that first day. The second day I was not as fortunate. My calf muscles seized up and I could not walk. It was one of the most excruciating pains I have ever felt (except for maybe child labor!). I only got about 8 miles in. I was going to bus to lunch the last day then walk into closing but I am stubborn. I had also met up with my "crew" from Day 1 and we walked together again.
Just before lunch myself and one of the other ladies needed to stop. Turns out she had injured her knee in a fall the day before and it was locked up. We took a van to lunch and went right to medical. She ended up going to the hospital and met back up with us at closing-on crutches. I got my calf muscles massaged and my feet and ankles taped up. I again was supposed to bus to holding but I am stubborn...and I took off on my own walking. I was the last walker...but I was walking.

I ended up being the last walker in on that last day (and I have the pin and pictures to prove it!) but I didn't care...I had FINISHED!

The first year I had an amazing experience and had met some of the most amazing men and women and listened to their stories. I knew I had to walk again.

So in 2009 I again decided to walk with my teammated from Team Walking On.
I trained more..not enough but more...lots more than the year before.
Unfortunately I also gained weight that year and it seemed to be a bad thing.

So in 2009 I walked and I actually finished Day 1. It was the first time I had actually walked into camp and I was so happy I was bawling! I felt great (other than a few sore muscles but when you walk 20 miles in a day what do you expect!).
I was looking froward to day 2.
Day 2 I went to medical to have my muscles massaged and taped as the calves were once again a little sore but I knew if they were taped I should be ok, and off I went.

One of the girls I met in 2008 was going to be at a pit stop cheering for me as she had decided against walking this year. I could not wait to see her. While we kept in touch during the year through a few emails and Facebook, we had not seen each other since the walk the prior year.
Unfortunately my feet had other ideas. I started having this pain in my left foot but I ignored it. I HAD to get to all the pit stops and cheering stations to see her.
So I decided to take a sweep van to the next pit stop, rested, and took off walking until the pain was too much and swept to the next stop. I did this up until lunch where i went to medical to have them check it out. I thought maybe my calves were acting up. So they were medically massaged again and my tape was redone on them.
I also had an adjustment done-boy did that feel great!

I ate my lunch, took care of blisters starting to form and took off walking some more.This day was a rainy one and soon I was walking in the rain, in pain.
I swept once more to the last pit stop before the cheering station my friend was going to be at. I was advised by a team member who was on medical not to walk...I didn't listen!
So I started out on those 2 miles to the cheering station knowing if I got there and saw my friend I could quit for the day with no regrets.
Unfortunatley, about a mile down the road, the throbbing in my foot turned to stabbing shooting pain. I couldn't take another step...so I stopped and waited for a van. I went back to camp and went to medical. I was iced up and then tested for a fracture which the test came back negative. However I was red-carded (meaning no walking at ALL) and told to come back after dinner to see how it was doing. If it was better I could be allowed to walk the last day.
SO I went back, knowing the news would not be good. Just walking to me tent and to dinner I was nearly in tears.
SO medical shipped me off to the hospital ER for X-rays.
There the ER said my X-rays showed I had a chip fracture in my foot. I was given a post-surgical boot and crutches. The red card was remaining. I was devestated. I felt like I had let me donars down, like I had let those who had trusted me with the names of loved ones to walk for down.

Day 3 had me sitting on a bus going from camp to lunch, then from lunch to holding.
At holding I was able to cheer the walkers coming in and it really brightened my spirits. I cried with the walkers as they came across the "finish line". It was an experience I had not had the first year and I am so greatful I was able to have it.

After the walk, I went to see a podiatrist who said I did not have a chip fracture but had a "Bulging tendon and tendonitis". He took away the crutches and instead gave me a walking boot, and sent me off to physical therapy. The physical therapist stated I had "tendonitis and a ligament strain". After a month, the walking boot came off.

Several months later, foot better but not 100% I decided not to walk in 2010 but instead to crew.

Then I learned my beautiful co-worker had her cancer come back, only this time it had mestastisised to her liver.
I was starting to waver on crewing versus walking.

Then this past Monday April 5th 2010 I learned my Daddy has early stage melanoma.
Now, I have ALWAYS walked the 3 Day for ALL cancers, not just Breast Cancer. I believe in my heart of hearts that if we can find the cure for one, we will find the cure for all. SO I walk for ALL cancers.

After hearing about my daddy, i was no longer wavering.
I called the 3 day coaches (who by the way are AMAZING!) and made the switch from crew to walker. This year the walk is personal. I am not walking for a friend, or friends of friends alone, I am walking for them and for my own family, for my Daddy.
This time, it's personal...much more than it has ever been before.

I will continue to walk, even if I end up in a walking boot again, until we have a cure and there is no longer a need to walk. Hell, I'll do the walk IN THE WALKING BOOT if I have to!

So it's back to fundraising, and training (this time I am doing ALL the training), and raising awareness to find a cure for cancer no matter where it affects us.
Because EVERYONE DESERVES A LIFETIME!

Please feel free to support me on this journey as I once again raise $2300.00 to walk.
Donations can be made at www.the3day.org/goto/Janna.Florie