Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Once again I have participated in this very important event.

Every year I swear I'll get up early and beat the traffic to Jones Beach.  And every year I wind up in a traffic jam trying to get into the parking lot.

But eventually I park, and make my way to the registration tent. . . You can see the penants flying long before you reach the tent.

When I first started walking, Jen walked with her cheer team and Becca walked with Key Club, so my time wasn't my own.  But now I can visit the Survivor's tent and take my time talking with other survivors.  I can collect my pink t-shirt and other badges of my status.

The weather was warm today, I took off my sweatshirt even before I hit the boardwalk.  But it was windy, I had to use bobby pins to keep my baseball cap from flying off.

I love to see all the walkers . . .school groups, unions, corporate teams, local hospital employees, friends of cancer patients. . .today I saw a group of fire fighters in dress uniform.  Most walkers wear pink. . .many wear slogans like "Fight Like a Girl" or "Hope Starts With Me."

Volunteers are positioned along the path to hand out bottled water and cheer on the walkers . . . Today I was high-fived just for being a survivor.

It's so strange to see the boardwalk so crowded you can barely move, and almost no one on the beach itself.  Though today I did see a group of cheerleaders stunting on the beach today.

You walk 2 1/2 miles along the boardwalk and turn around and walk back.  There's a memorial on the fence at the turnaround point.  It gives me immense satisfaction to add my contribution to the fence every year.  It's proof I'm still here!

And today . . . Senator Schumer was there, at the starting point of the walk, to greet all the walkers. . .I am a political junkie and a fan of the Senator, and was thrilled when he posed for a photo with me.

All in all, a great day.