This year the Breast Cancer 3Day walk was an amazing, indescribable, wonderful and inspiring adventure! I am so thankful that you supported me as I jumped into this 60-mile journey (once again) and I hope you realize that you made a difference in so many lives. I was so excited to travel with the largest team that the Coconutter Strutters have seen! All eight of us were from Michigan and very proud to walk in the amazingly supportive city of San Diego!
The San Diego Breast Cancer 3Day is well-known for its beautiful scenery, large attendance and perfect weather. We were in awe and amazed by everything from the minute we arrived at opening ceremonies! Our team was a combination of 4 veteran and 4 first-time walkers; yet so many of the achievements we saw were firsts for all of us. We were honored to watch Aunt Terry (many of you know she is the reason I am so passionate about this fight) who carry an honor flag at opening and closing ceremonies. Each year 8 survivors are selected to take part in the emotional and inspiring ceremony. This is a time where they not only get everyone excited and pumped up to walk 60 miles, but it is also a reminder of why you fought through your personal challenges during the months of training and fundraising leading up to this moment!
The first two days of the walk guided us along the Pacific coastline. We couldn’t get enough of the ocean, huge waves, all the surfers, amazing homes, beautiful wildlife (including seals), constant California sunshine and endless supporters! While not much compares to some of the cheering stations in Michigan, it felt like everyone in the San Diego area came out to cheer us on! Even heading up the huge hills the supporters never stopped! (Thank goodness!)
Overall the entire 3 days went far beyond our expectations! The Coconutter Strutters made their mark with your help and we will never ever forget this experience. Here are a few highlights from our 60 mile journey.
Day 1:
Watched Aunt Terry carry the OPTIMISM flag at opening ceremonies! CLICK HERE to watch!
Climbed the largest hill on the route- (and we all made it!)
Cheered Aunt Terry on as she accepted the ‘top fundraiser’ award! This included a special key to an amazing tent! (Big thanks to the #1 fundraiser who shared her amazing achievement!) CLICK HERE to watch a local news segment on the walk- if you look close, you’ll see Terry and her flag!
Day 2:
Greeted by Julie’s sister, niece and friend who drove out to cheer us on! There’s nothing better than your friends and family at a cheering station!
Won the tent decorating contest! (We made a ‘coconut’ for each of our donors and hung them from our awesome banner!) AND our tent made it onto the photo gallery at the3day.org! CLICK HERE to check it out!
Felt so loved when we found a special gift in our tents from a friend! Wonderfully warm slipper boots (in pink) to keep our toes warm at night! Thanks Victor!
Amelia won the CURE-ious game show at dinner! CLICK HERE to watch!
Day 3:
Tackled some surprisingly steep hills!
We all made it!!! 60 miles closer to a cure!
There were SO many amazing supporters, some of them took our pictures and posted them online! CLICK HERE to see!
Met a reporter from the Detroit News- took our team photo (minus Heidi) on DetroitNews.com it was titled “Michigan Lead in San Diego Breast Cancer 3 Day” CLICK HERE for pic!
We were one of the first rows to lead the entire group out during closing ceremonies (just imagine nearly 4,000 people walking together to celebrate such a huge accomplishment!) in turn one of our team members, Julie, was snagged last second to hold a flag on the front stage during the closing ceremonies presentation! How awesome!
Finally we had the chance to say goodbye to our favorite person, Jenee, who is the spokesperson during the 3Day. She is the type of person that has a wonderfully contagious optimism and we couldn’t get enough of her!
So THANK YOU! Without our supporters the Coconutter Strutters could not make a difference! If you would like to join our team for 2010 we will be back in Michigan, August 13th-15th. You can register at www.the3day.org/goto/coconutterstrutters !
Mellisa, Vanessa, Krista, Terry, Holly, Amelia, Heidi & Julie
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