Self portrait - Atlanta October 2006

So. which Pumpkin are U?

The AVON Walk + Random acts of kindness

Some of you - my dear friends and readers may have already gotten my email about my walk, therefore I am copying the same letter here for random individuals who saw me begging here for donations :) There is a bonus story at the bottom of the page ...

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The weekend before last was my first Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and I am proud to tell you that despite of my emergency operation just 5 days before the walk, where I lost yet another organ – my appendix :) I completed 30 miles in 2 days! The walk was one of the most inspirational experiences of my life and I wanted to share with you a few of the highlights for me and my team.

Without the sponsorship of many of you, this event would not have been the experience that it was for all of us. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for supporting me, I thank you for supporting our team, and I thank you for supporting the Avon Foundation!

Highlights:

- My team of 7 young survivors and 2 of our greatest supporters raised 64,732.00!!!! Boobees NYC was the top 7th team and we had the third highest average per member!!!!

- Everyone thought that we had the cutest shirts of any team (check out Boo Bee on the photo! :)

- It was a really strange feeling walking on streets of Manhattan with my shirt
" screaming" - “Survivor” on it …. I am sure that all those women who kept looking at me curiously ran home and did a self-check :) So yes, we raised so much awareness about young women and breast cancer that it will most certainly be getting tougher for doctors to tell the young patient “You have nothing to worry about, you’re too young” and not do further tests - just like it happened to many of us young survivors ...

- My most inspirational teammate was Stephanie. Steph just finished chemo 6 weeks ago and had 102 fever a week before the walk. She was walking with a bald head and yet a huge smile on her face.

- Walking with tributes on our shirts in memory of our friends and loved ones who we have lost to this disease and making sure that they will never be forgotten. Their fighting spirit kept me moving when I thought that I could not go further ...

- While having breakfast with the entire team at the Wellness Village on Randall’s Island (A place where everyone camped out on Saturday night) a lady came to our table and gave out pink sticky notes in a shape of a ribbon that had a message from a school child for each of us.
This is what mine said: “Dear Walker, I am an 8th grade student at a middle school. I know that you are tired and worn out, but just keep walking one mile at a time. Good Luck! Nicole” … (SOOOOO CUTE and what a thoughtful teacher!)

- Walking into closing ceremonies with 354 other survivors. They gave the survivors a lighter color pink shirt than to the rest of the walkers and made us walk to the front of the stage. I was in a sea of survivors and remembered how alone I felt when I was diagnosed. There were 3500 walkers and maybe just as many people who came to watch the ceremony – I’ve never seen so many people cry at the same time (Elvi included :)

- All of the wonderful and amazing people who we met along the way and who we shared our stories with.

-The cheering stations and random people who cheered us on the streets and thanked for doing the walk. Many actually stopped and said “Thank you ladies for doing this!” ...

- The children who came out to support us. One little boy was giving out pink bracelets to the walkers. Others were holding signs that said "walk mommies walk"

- Hearing at closing ceremonies that the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York broke all of the Avon records and raised an astounding $9.7 million!!!!

- Seeing millions of dollars in checks awarded to local charities that will go to help make women's lives better.

- Crying and hugging all of my teammates who I am so proud of. We all accomplished what we set out to do. We raised money for breast cancer, we educated, informed and inspired everyone who we came into contact with, and we proved to ourselves that when we work together we can do anything that we set our minds to!

Thank You!

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THE BONUS STORY:

Last Sunday morning we took the subway - Geoff and I to Brooklyn to see Miriam. It's the breast cancer awreness months, so every weekend there is some sort of event or walk for a different cancer charity in the city.

Half-asleep sitting on the F line I realize that there are many women with all sorts of pins and pink ribbons around us - Strides for BC I find out. A black lady in sweats takes the seat next to me while another lady is holding onto the pole just opposite ...

"Did you just do the breast cancer walk?"
The lady standing asks ...

"Yes, I just came from Central Park. There were so many women walking!"

"You know, I feel so bad for those women. Not only do they loose their breasts, but their hair falls out also from chemotherapy"

"Yes, it must be really hard"

(I pretend to look elsewhere yet my ears are desperately trying to hear every single word that exchanges between these two women who are "just" two souls out of many millions that happen to travel the same time on the same subway line .... )

The two women nod with deepest empathy at each other ...
I feel like they're talking about me as they venture deeper into the conversation bringing me back a rush of memories of hopeless days and nights ...

"Oh it's my stop"
and she reaches into her pocket as she finds two dollar bills and hands it over to the lady sitting next to me ...

"Wait! Here is more! Take these 5 dollars and put it towards your fundraising goal"

The black lady smiles, thanks and takes out a pen and an envelope to register the gift in her fundraising notebook ...

The white lady leaves, waves good-bye ...

I am left on the F sitting dumb founded - overwhelmed by emotions and trust in this random act of kindness and human character ... WOW!