Note From a Friend

Hi Donna!

God is so good--all the time!

I am so thankful that your chemo is going along okay.  I could see you giving into that depression momentarily, but only momentarily.  God pumped you with too much perkiness for you to be down for long.  You are a great blessing in my life.

The 3-Day was totally awesome.  I can't begin to tell you how humbled, awed, and proud I am to be able to help my friends in such a significant way.  I put ribbons on my hat with the names of my friends who are fighting and surviving breast cancer.  I put their names and the year they started fighting this beast:

Pat (my best friend's mom)    1993

Aimee' (my friend Maggi's friend)    2001

Jill (my dear friend at church)    2002

Donna (you know, that perky, blessed friend)    2002

Those ribbons generated conversation throughout the 3-Day.  I can't tell you how many people cheered when they discovered that all four of you are survivors.  I even had one group of walkers start chanting, "Pat, Aimee', Jill, Donna" as they walked down the trail.  It was awesome.  People that neither you nor I know are praying for you.  How cool is that?

The first day was hot, but great.  So many people cheered us along the way, and we walkers cheered each other, too.  We shared stories and encouraged each other.  2,858 walked and raised nearly $3 million for cancer research and prevention.  Incredible!  We left the Enumclaw fairgrounds about 8am.  The street was packed with walkers as far up as I could see and as far back as I could see.  I was overwhelmed.  Donald and my girls waited for me at the first pit stop.  It was great!  Different businesses gave us samples and treats along the route.  Just before the big hill in Bonney Lake, Starbucks handed out miniature frappacinos.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but I sucked that baby right up.  It was cold, and I was hot!  Also along the route were what to become regular cheering sections:  'Babes for Boobs', 'Hiking for Hooters', 'Heart & Soles', 'Rockers for Knockers', 'Chicks Walking Abreast', 'Jammin' For Jill's Jugs', 'Breast Buddies', 'Blister Sisters'.  We started looking forward to these cheering sections.  At one point we had to be loaded on a bus and driven around some road construction.  Our first camp was set up at a school in Auburn.  I made it in around 2:45pm.  My feet were sore, but I felt good.  The med people took care of a couple of blisters on my heels.  Those people were 100% volunteer.  Awesome!  I forced myself to eat dinner, but I wasn't really hungry.  All showered and fed, I hit the sack about 6:30pm.  Yep, I was worn out.

Day 2 started out cloudy, but I didn't trust it to hold out.  Sure enough, it turned out to be hotter than Day 1.  I was up by 5am and ready to walk at 6:30am.  My blisters seemed to be doing okay, and I started off at a good pace.  By the third pit stop (we had about 7 or 8 pit stops each day), it felt like I was walking on very painful bubbles.  At pit stop 4, I had the med team look at my heels again.  Yuck!  Big bubbles on each heal.  No wonder I was so uncomfortable and leaning towards miserable.  Lance, bandage, and continue to walk.  I was really pushing myself when I came to the lunch stop.  Imagine my surprise when my Honey jumped out from behind a tree at the lunch stop.  Please keep in mind that my husband doesn't really navigate too well on his own, yet he found out where the lunch stop was located and actually arrived there just to cheer me on.  Isn't that the sweetest?  I was pretty much ready to climb on a bus and ride into the next camp.  But after Donald showed up, my morale jumped, and I was invigorated again.  He sat with me while I ate lunch (I was always hungry for lunch!) and had my heels doctored again.  He wanted me to get on the bus, but I felt I could walk some more.  Besides, in the scheme of things, what are a few blisters compared to what you and my other friends are going through and facing admirably?  I walked through Kent and Renton.  I now know where Boeing is!  At pit stop 6 (about 4 miles from camp), my feet had reached their limit.  If I wanted any chance of walking on Day 3, I had to take a break and take care of my feet.  So, yes, I got on that bus and rode into the camp.  But it didn't matter, the cheerleaders cheered just as loud for us as the other walkers.  What a blessing!  My tent mate must have dropped out of the walk, because she never did make it to our tent at this camp.  Once I doctored my blisters this time, I left the bandages off for them to dry out a bit.  Lord willing, tomorrow would bring me relief and endurance.

Day 3--My heels felt much better as I walked to breakfast.  Praise the Lord!  I bandaged them really good before packing up my bag and tent.  This was the day.  I left Renton about 7:10am and was able to walk better.  I also switched shoes.  I figured the blisters couldn't get any worse than they already were.  Maybe I should have switched shoes yesterday.  You know about hindsight!  The route took us along I-90 and onto Mercer Island.  Beautiful!  At every other pit stop and at lunch, I took off my shoes and socks and let my feet get some air.  If I needed to repair anything, that was the time to do it.  I left the lunch area just 10 minutes before it closed.  If I had been there when it closed, I would have been put on a bus and driven directly to Seattle.  No way!  This gal was making tracks for some very special friends.  Stubbornness is not something to brag about, but it served me well in keeping me determined to finish this course.  What song kept running through my head?  "Keep Walking" from the Veggie Tales "Josh and the Big Wall".  I kept thinking that breast cancer was the wall I was walking around, and it would fall down if I trusted God and continued to walk.  More and more cheerleaders appeared the closer we came to the Seattle Center.  Total inspiration!  I was trudging slower and slower.  Tell me God wasn't working even in my frailty.  My family, my best friend and her family, and Jill and her mother arrived at the Seattle Center just 10-20 minutes before I came through the victory walk!  God is so good!  When I climbed that last hill, they were all there smiling, cheering, and jumping around.  I totally forgot about my aches and pains.  Jill gave me a dozen pink roses and two, ice-cold Dr. Peppers.  Wow!  All the kids came running at me, and we had a group hug.  I don't think they even noticed the sweat and accompanying odor.  Now that is real love!  Seeing Jill's face and just a cap on her head really brought me to tears.  If walking all those miles can make a difference in Jill's or yours or Aimee's or Pat's lives, every blister is a medal I proudly bear.  The walkers were given blue victory shirts, and the survivors were given pink victory shirts.  All those pink shirts--young, middle-aged, elderly, big, small, tall, short.  All those people valiantly fighting breast cancer.  What a humbling and blessed feeling.  Jill and I walked into the stadium together.  Thank You, Lord, for Your grace and Your mercy.  Thank You for being with these women and giving them hope of another tomorrow.  Thank You, Lord, for Donna, Jill, Aimee', and Pat.  "No weapon formed against us shall prosper.  All those who rise up against us shall fall.  We shall not fear what the devil may brings us.  We are children of God!"

Once I get these pictures developed, I would like to come see you.  I just want to hug you and maybe even cry with you (for joy for sure!).  God was with me every step of the way as well as you and my family and my friends.  This is something I will not soon forget.  I may be tired and tender, but I can definitely see myself doing this again and raising even more money to fight breast cancer.

You rest and know that God is in control.  May He bless you and keep you always.  Have a great day, Donna.

Blessings, Kathi