Hello all!
As some of you may already know, throughout the pandemic walking had become my daily go-to for many reasons. Sometimes it was for fresh air, time outside of our house, a way to relieve stress, or a form of exercise. What started as just short neighborhood walks with my 4 boys to keep me company during remote learning eventually became "me time" with their return to school. My walks have become much longer and more frequent with the occasional stroller to push along the way. I also got a FitBit and then a Garmin Watch during this time and found out that on average, I walk between 8 and 12 miles a day...and sometimes that's without even leaving our house or the neighborhood! Also, during this time, I was living through making some of the hardest decisions of my life. This included being at high risk for Breast Cancer and choosing to have a double mastectomy followed by several breast reconstruction surgeries which I'm currently still in the process of. During all of my recoveries from surgeries which included weeks of no lifting, pushing or pulling, walking has been about the only thing I could continuously do without hesitation or concern of injuring myself. Raising awareness for Breast Cancer has always been a passion of mine, whether it be through Breast Cancer walks, dying my hair pink, having my boys wear pink ribbon socks during the month of October for their sports, initiating for our schools to do a pink day and donate to a local organization (goPINK+), or donating to national foundations. When I started to become more in tune to Breast Cancer Awareness in my early 20s, I would often think of my Bubbie, who was a 50+ year survivor of Breast Cancer. I never imagined that in my lifetime, my mom would become a Breast Cancer survivor and that I would take precautions to not get Breast Cancer and become a previvor. Now more than ever, I continue to want to contribute to the cause of Breast Cancer and support those that have Breast Cancer in some way. I have finally found the best fit for me to do that at this time.
History of Major Walks include:
May 2023: 9 mile walk, Cancer Connection
October 2023: 13.1 mile walk, Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation
January 2024: 13.1 mile virtual walk, Walt Disney World
May 2024: 9 mile walk, Cancer Connection
October 2024: 26.2 mile walk, Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation
I've been actively training towards participating in the 2025 WMass Mother's Day Half Marathon by being a 13.1 mile walker for Cancer Connection.
Thank you so much for your support. I'm excited to join this incredible initiative! Cancer Connection's initiative is very important to me and I'm proud to help them make a difference. Please support me by giving to my page. Every dollar raised goes directly to breast cancer research! Every dollar counts! Thank you.