Thousands Begin Walking In Susan G. Komen 3-Day For The Cure
NOVI (WWJ) - Thousands of people taking a long walk this weekend in the name of breast cancer research. WWJ's Mike Campbell traveled to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi where Michigan's Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure started.
Kelly Delaney from Trenton shared her tips for enduring the 63-mile walk. "Body glide, gold bond, it makes sure that there's no blisters and keeps them dry."
Delaney is among what is expected to be thousands walking in the 3-Day for the Cure. It's a walk to raise awareness about breast cancer.
Everybody participating has a reason why they are walking. Some are walking just to help raise awareness, some to raise money, some to remember friends lost to the disease and some because cancer has hit close to home.
"You know, it comes to people at young ages and it comes to people at older ages. Personally, my great-grandma's got it, it's her fourth time, 93-years-old and her fourth time it's come back. And my great-aunt Sue, it's her first time now," Delaney said.
Delaney is one of five members on a team called "Hooters-R-Us." Everybody walking is on a different team, but they all agree it's not a race, it's all about a cause.
Sue, a repeat walker at the event, talked about her purpose for walking.
"My mother's my inspiration. She's a six-year survivor, and once I did it, there was no stopping me. I began walking for my mother and now I walk for everybody else," Sue said.
Sheila House is walking for the first time this year after completing treatments for breast cancer.
"I'm so surprised at how emotional I've been leading up to it. I had butterflies. But I want to be around for my little girls, so that was my goal, to be positive and be strong and do everything in my power," House said.
She's walking alongside her daughter and husband Joe, who said with all this support, she has nothing to worry about.
"You know, the 60-mile walk is pretty anti-climatic after two years of chemotherapy, radiation, mastectomies and surgeries," he said.
The walk, which started at 6:30 am on Friday, takes participants through Novi, Northville, Livonia, Plymouth, back to Livonia and into Dearborn Heights and Dearborn.
There are various ways in which the walkers are raising money for breast cancer research. Many have collected donations from family and coworkers in sponsorship of their walk, but some teams added a little creativity to the fundraising process.
Tom Nash, with the "60 Mile Men" team, said his group uses a calendar to raise money.
"It's a fundraiser where we sell them out to people we know to help raise awareness for the 3-Day event. It's a very popular calendar actually, to many who are among this group here at the 3-Day event," Nash said.
Cherie Phillips said the ultimate goal of the walk is to raise a lot of money.
"In totality I can tell you that for 2010 we were about at $5.1 million. The number for this year will be released on Sunday."
Walkers were required to raise a minimum of $2,300 to participate and walk an average of 20 miles a day for three consecutive days. The walk will wrap up Sunday afternoon at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn.
