Real Survivors Do Wear Pink

I walked in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this weekend, and as it turns out, I did wear pink.

I expected to be surrounded by seas of pink and pink merchandise.  I expected to be overwhelmed by the pink.  I'm critical of the pinkification of America.  I worry that linking pink to breast cancer makes people think that breast cancer is rosy.  And, I worry that people will think that there is a cure for all breast cancers and forget about the many women living with and dying from metastatic breast cancer.

This is what I learned this weekend.  Pink can be hot.  Pink can be fiery.  And, pink can be unifying.

There were no pink toasters or pink yogurt lids or pink teddy bears.   And, there were no rose colored glasses put on cancer this weekend.

There were 13,000 women and men who walked 39.3 miles over 2 days and raised over 8.4 million dollars.

I walked with my friend, Nadine, and with the other walkers we walked 26.2 miles the first day.

On the Brooklyn Bridge--at "Mile Chai"

It turns out that the hardest part was not the pink and not even the actual walking.  (Although, miles 22-26.2 on day one were killer).

My Cheering Crew at Mile 22

It turns out the hardest part of the Walk was reading the tee shirts that people had made in memory of women who had died of breast cancer.

One woman wore a shirt with a picture of a friend who had died this week and was being buried Saturday while we walked.  Another group of women wore tee shirts in memory of a woman who died when she was 21.  Those were the hardest parts.

The easiest part was the pink.  Pink was strong.  Pink made the walkers look like a unified group walking to end breast cancer.  It turns out when used responsibly, pink can be powerful.

We ended the first day at Randall's Island where Avon had set up a Wellness Village with doctors and chiropractors and foot massages and meals and showers.  Many walkers stayed on Randall's Island overnight in tents.

Pink Tent City at the Wellness Village

Nadine and I took the shuttle bus and spent the night at the Sheraton.

I'll walk.  I'll raise money.  I might even wear pink.  But, I'm not sleeping in a tent after walking 26.2 miles.

We had beautiful weather again on day two.  And, 13.1 miles was a breeze after 26.2.  We shuttled up to Randall's Island and started walking again.

We walked with other survivors, big corporate groups, families, friends and so many volunteers.

This guy has been volunteering for 12 years

We walked, because we could.  And, we did.  We crossed the finish line around one o'clock at Pier 86.

At the Finish Line

These are the facts:  Every three minutes a woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer.  One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in a lifetime. 

These are also the facts:  In two days, 13,000 people walked 39.3 miles together to raise 8.4 million dollars to support women in need of treatment and to support breast cancer research.

And, this is also a fact:  It turns out that real survivors do wear pink.  When we crossed the finish line, Avon gave all the survivors hot pink tee shirts.  I had walked 39.3 miles.  I had raised over $8,500.

Somehow wearing pink felt okay.

That's me in pink with the Intrepid* behind me.

intrepid:  characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude and endurance




Many thanks to everyone who supported me in the Walk.  I couldn't have done any of it without you.