Take a Walk

Happy October!

October is a lot of great things: the beginning of fall, perfect weather just about everywhere, changing leaves, baseball post-season and football, Halloween for those who go in for that sort of thing . . .
October is also National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

And this Saturday, October 4, is the 3rd Annual TBBCF Walk Across Southeastern Connecticut.

A 26.2 walk across Southeastern Connecticut. That, my friends, is a long walk.

TBBCF is the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, named for a young mother of three who was diagnosed with and died of breast cancer. One of the founders of TBBCF was Norma Logan, a friend of Terri’s – and the best friend of our own MartyJoCo – who was chagrined to discover that a large percentage of the money raised by breast cancer organizations was being spent on overhead and administrative costs.

The mission statement of the TBBCF reads:

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The Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit group dedicated to providing critical funding to researchers in search of a cure for breast cancer. Our pledge is to direct 100 percent of total gross fundraising dollars toward breast cancer research.
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100%. Pretty good percentage, if you ask me. 100% of the money raised goes directly to research, actually to the researchers themselves, those who win the grants.

After Norma started the Foundation, she, too, was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she too died too young, too soon, too tragically.

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In 2006, the Foundation kicked off the Walk Across Southeastern Connecticut, which was a huge success. MartyJoCo and a couple hundred other brave souls walked a marathon – 26.2 miles – and raised loads of money for breast cancer research. I was on the crew – specifically the Opening and Closing Ceremony crew, and the number of people who donated their time was overwhelming – those setting up and taking down tents, bicyclists along the route, pit stop crew, masseuses, bands, and tons of food for lunch and the closing ceremony donated by local restaurants. It was an incredible and exhilarating day.

In 2007, for the 2nd annual walk, Bill and I were out west, and couldn’t be part of the event. MartyJoCo walked it again, though. Of course she did.

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And this year’s walk is this Saturday.
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MartyJo’s walking again. Of course she is!

And so is our new friend Barbara.

As are 400 other people.

I’m on the Opening and Closing Crew again, but this time I don’t have to be in Old Saybrook by 5 a.m.; I’m on the afternoon shift.

But I hope I still get a royal blue t-shirt. And a bowl of chowder.

Check out the Foundation's website. It’s full of wonderful information and wonderful people, including, and especially, Terri and Norma.

Read Norma Logan’s promise, check out the community events, watch the photos montage video of last year’s walk . . .

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. . . including this photo, which cracks me up.

And most importantly of all, check out ways you can Sponsor a Walker or Donate to the Foundation.

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Norma made the important distinction between awareness and research. Pink ribbons everywhere are the wonderful and successful result of breast cancer awareness. But what we need for a cure is research.

It’s the beginning of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Maybe we can begin to call it National Breast Cancer Awareness and Research Month. What better way to celebrate than to add to its success?