Part of Our Summer of Service Series: DJJDP Employee Commits to 60-Mile, Three-Day Walk for Breast Cancer
Sixty miles, three days, thousands of steps, and months of preparation will all be sacrificed to make a personal difference in finding the cures. Rene Pomeroy, a Juvenile Court Counselor in the 11th District, is preparing for this bold journey. Mrs. Pomeroy has joined thousands of other breast cancer supporters in preparing for the 2009 Michigan Breast Cancer 3-Day benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. After months of training and fundraising, participants will walk 60 miles during three days to raise awareness and funds for critical research, education and community health programs.
“This is my second year participating in the Breast Cancer 3-Day,” said Mrs. Pomeroy. “Through my participation in this event I know I am making a personal impact on the breast cancer movement. The Breast Cancer 3-Day is challenging, but the opportunity to have an enormous impact on awareness and funding for the breast cancer cause, to honor those who have lost their lives to the disease, and to celebrate cancer survivorship is a life-changing experience. The support of the communities we walked through was heartwarming.”
“Breast cancer has affected my life from the time I was 11 years old. I lost an aunt to the disease, then my mother was diagnosed; not once, but twice. She is no longer with us. My sister was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at the age of 42 and this year will mark her sixth year cancer free. I walk in memory of my aunt and mother and in honor of my sister and all the survivors I have met along my journey. I have been training hard, walking the Dunn Erwin Trail and through the streets of Dunn. I have some close friends who walk with me when they can and have met people along the trail.”
In the U.S. today, there are nearly 2.5 million breast cancer survivors—one in eight women will be diagnosed during her lifetime—but a breast cancer diagnosis affects more than the patient. Co-survivors, the family and friends of those women and men battling breast cancer, need support also. The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a way for survivors, co-survivors and anyone passionate about the cause to personally make a difference in helping end the disease by joining a community of support throughout the entire journey. Each walker is supported by coaches and online assistance that aid in all aspects of training and fundraising, while clinics, meetings, training walks, teams, and buddy walkers provide ongoing support.
“The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a community of people united by one cause who are dedicated and excited to make a difference,” said Mrs. Pomeroy. “Get Started meetings, training walks, and fundraising events have been a fun way to meet people with whom I have an instant connection and support system while challenging myself in this journey.”
The Michigan Breast Cancer 3-Day will start on Friday morning, August 14, 2009 and end with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday afternoon, August 16, 2009. The walkers will cover about 20 miles a day, traveling at their own pace. Hundreds of volunteer crew members support the walkers through the three-day journey providing meals, refreshments and snack stops, gear transport, hot showers, portable restrooms, safety on the streets and 24-hour medical services.
