Who can I walk for on your behalf?

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your support!  Thanks to all of you, i met my goal one month BEFORE the walk!  I really can't put into words how special it is for me to know that you have decided to take this journey with me.

The walk starts THIS Friday morning!  It just seems crazy...  So, in my prep this week, i am trying to get my list together of those who I am walking for (both in honor of and in memory of).  That being said, please let me know who i can walk for on your behalf.  I will be making ribbons to go on my pack with the names of each person I am walking for, and I would be honored to walk for your friends and loved one's who have been affected by breast cancer.

Please email me (becca.winn@yahoo.com) by Wednesday at noon with anyone you want included so that I can make the ribbon for them.

On another note, there is some spectator information available on the 3day website...

The most important info though is about the closing ceremonies - i would be so honored if you could join us there!  The closing ceremonies are on Sunday, August 8th at 4:30pm at Soldier Field.  It's open to everyone and it's quite an amazing ceremony.

There are also tons of ways to cheer us on throughout the walk in Winnetka, Glenview (friday),  Des Plaines, Mt. Prospect (Saturday) and almost every town around there - then in Chicago on Sunday - cheering makes all the difference in this walk and was many times the only thing that kept me walking last year!

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You can still support my 3day team!

And, I almost forgot! My teammate, Lynnette, still needs to reach her goal.  So, if you haven't donated yet and wanted to support this cause, please donate to her instead.  OR, if you are feeling really generous and want to donate again, please donate to Lynnette.

Her donation page can be found here.  Or you can go to my page, click on "Lovely Lady Lumps" (clever, huh?) and then click on Lynnette's name to donate to her.

If you don't know Lynnette personally here is one of MANY reasons to donate to her.  When my cousin Alisa was diagnosed with cancer back in the fall of 2008 the first thing Lynnette said was, "Oh, then we have to do one of those walks!"  Yes, this whole crazy journey was HER idea!  Yes, she decided to raise $2300 and walk 60 miles (not easy my friends, not easy at all) for someone that she barely knows.  I truly don't know anyone more selfless and more amazing than my Lynnettey Bo Betty. :-)

Here's Lynnette with Aaron and Maddie at the end of the 2009 walk.  How was she NOT crabby by this point?  For real.

Aaaaand, here we are getting our tent set up and wrapping our suitcases in plastic because it WOULD NOT stop raining on the first day.

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Met my Gooooaaaaallll!!!

Have I said "thank you" lately?  Incase you haven't heard, I am so amazingly and incredibly THANKFUL to my supporters!!!  In one week I raised over $1000 and met my 3Day fundraising minimum.  I simply cannot believe this to be true!  With 28 days to spare?!  Crazy.

I had started to get worried about my fundraising a few weeks back when I realized that I was a wee bit behind where I was last year at this time and most people who donated last year had already donated for this year.  (that was a really long and confusing sentence, sorry about that).  Well, deep down in my heart  I knew that there was no need to worry and I only wish I would have listened to that little voice inside instead of stressing out!  Now I am waaaay ahead of where I was last year!! 

So, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! You all are completely amazing and I am so honored that you would come along side me on this journey.  I feel like every day I hear of someone else with breast cancer, someone's niece, or mother, or aunt or grandmother or daughter was just diagnosed and it just makes me angry.  That being said, I'm thrilled to be doing my part in the fight against breast cancer and I'm honored and amazed by the incredible people that are in my life that would partner with me in this battle.

Please please please remember that your donation IS making a difference.  I can't really say it better than the Susan G. Komen foundation - so here's a little snippit from their website.

Because 10 million women around the world could die from breast cancer in the next 25 years, we continue to fight every minute of every day to save every life. 

Thanks to people like you who share our vision of a world without breast cancer, we’ve made huge discoveries in finding new and better ways to detect the disease at its earliest stages. We now know so much more about the different types of breast cancer and specific ways to attack each kind. And we work day-in and day-out in communities throughout the world to ensure everyone can access quality care and these new advances. But the fact is, breast cancer is still life-threatening, and until we can keep people from dying from it, we need your help - your generosity is crucial as we continue this fight. 

They are getting closer to finding a cure and you are a part of it.  THANK YOU. 

 

 

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My supporters are AMAZING.

WOW WOW WOW!!! I am SO overwhelmed by the response I have received since my last blog/email update. WOW! I managed to raise $515 in 24 hours!!! That is just nutty.

So, where does that leave my fundraising effort now? Only $539 to go until I meet my fundraising minimum of $2300 and $1239 until I meet my personal fundraising goal of $3000. This went from feeling a little bit scary and out of reach to TOTALLY doable!

Now to get back on track (AGAIN) with my training! I got some new shoes (again!) last week and I MUST train in order to break those bad boys in before the walk. I'll check back in soon with a fabulous training update!

My 3day Page: http://www.the3day.org/goto/beccawinn10
My Official Blog: http://www.beccawalks.blogspot.com

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU everyone for you support!!

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T minus FOUR weeks til the 3day!!

Oh. My. Goodness.  The day has almost arrived!  You read that right, only four short weeks until Lynnette and I head out on another 3day adventure!  Wow!  So here are a few quick updates for you!

Fundraising
I am $1054 dollars from my minimum fundraising amount of $2300.  Here's how the "minimum" thing works... Each walker has to raise $2300 in order to walk.  If you don't have it before you walk, you give them your credit card number and you have 4 weeks after the walk in order to raise the rest, or they charge it to ya.  Or you can just donate what you have raised and not walk.

This breaks down to $253/week... or about $40/day that I still need to raise.  I have heard from a lot of people that you are planning on donating but just haven't yet... now is the time friends! :-)  I know I sound like a broken record but every penny really does make a difference... if you can donate $5 that's great... $20 is great... every dollar makes a difference in the fight against breast cancer! Click here to go to my donation page.  If you aren't comfortable making an online donation you can scroll to the bottom of my personal page to print the donation form - just fill it out and mail it in with your donation.

Why am I doing this?
Here is a reminder from my very first blog post of why I'm doing this.  Please remember that I am not asking for money for myself... I'm asking you to support the dream of a world without breast cancer.

Here are the facts:
Here's what I REALLY want you to know about why I am doing this... I TRULY believe, with every fiber of my being, that we can find a cure for breast cancer and that it can happen in my lifetime.

There are a lot of statistics coming up in this blog entry but I really want you, my supporters, to understand:
1.) what we are up against,
2.) what advancements have been made in the past two decades and
3.) why it’s so important that we don’t give up the fight!

Did you know that in a lifetime, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer?

Did you know that in the US, in 2009, there were an estimated 194,280 new cases of breast cancer in women and men and 40,610 deaths?

The good news is that new diagnostic tools allow physicians to detect cancer at earlier stages and new treatment strategies -- chemotherapy, hormonal and new biological therapies, like Herceptin are helping to save lives and reduce suffering.

There has been and continues to be a decline in death from breast cancer. To be clear, there are still approximately 40,000 women dying of breast cancer each year in the United States, but the breast cancer mortality rate has been slowly declining.

Why the 3day? Here's something you may not know about Susan G Komen for the cure....

Komen has sustained a strong commitment to supporting research that will identify and deliver cures for breast cancer. This commitment has resulted in important progress that has contributed to every major advancement in breast cancer over the past 25 years. With increasing investments over time, Komen is now the largest non-government funder of breast cancer research.

Training
Trainig this year has been about  a million times better than last year.  I've gotten a few substantial long walks... nothing as long as my training schedule suggests (like back to back 17 and 14 milers... who has time for that?!) but still, I feel good about what I have accomplished this year.  I'm pretty excited that my training schedule is majorly slowing down now with shorter walks, etc... I feel pretty good about where I am at and hope to keep on with some steady walks through the hot hot month of July so that my endurance stays strong for the walk.  I think I'm ready though... maybe. :-)

That's it from me for today!  Thank you so much for sticking with me through this nutty journey and for supporting me.  It's hard to express via blogs and emails but your support means a tremendous amount to me and I could never say thank you enough!

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Longest Training Walks Ever... and a fabulous fundraising idea that equals INTENSE motivation!

Skip to the last paragraph if you want to read about my fundraising challenge this week and not my detailed account of training/fundraising so far... you won't hurt my feelings.

I'm really really really proud of Lynnette and I right now. I mean, really proud.

Last year we "trained" for the 3day... meaning, we did some shorter walks after work when there was time and we threw in an 8 miler on a Saturday every now and then and there was that one time we walked 11 miles and wanted to die. Then we set off for the 3day in August of 2009 and walked almost all 60 miles and wanted to die.

So this year we thought, hmmmm perhaps we won't want to die as much if we actually do our training this year. At first, I'll admit it, I was determined to do it, but deep down inside I figured this was some sort of pipe dream and once again, life would get in the way and the same old "training" from last year would happen.

Well guess what folks?! My pipe dream is coming true! Last Saturday (the 12th) we did a 12.5 mile walk (which totally equals 14 "Komen" miles...) and this past Saturday (the 20th) we did 14.5 miles! Yes, we woke up early and walked for 5 hours straight (Ok, we made a stop for string cheese and gatorade and then another for a smoothie)!

(skip to the last paragraph if you don't feel like reading a long winded explanation about my training/fundraising :-)

Attention Fellow 3 Dayers! Read this paragraph if you are looking for a way to get motivated for training! First, allow me to elaborate a bit on my motivation for my training two weeks ago. I put it out there to my supporters to pledge money per mile for my training for the week. I planned on doing 33 miles and I got a few pledges. I had NO IDEA how much motivation this would provide for my training that week! I did a short walk on Thursday (because it had been raining every other day that week). Then, my mom and step-dad came into town on Friday... I had a quandary. I wanted to do my training but I also wanted to hang out with them on my afternoon off. Well, I hung out with them for lunch - then, instead of sitting on my brothers couch all afternoon, I went home and did a training walk before dinner. Seriously, I did! (I had fundraising dollars riding on it, so I had to!) Then Lynnette and I got up early on Saturday and set off to do 14 miles. We had a little run-in with a storm so we made it 12.5 miles and then decided we were sick of walking in the rain... but still, 12.5 miles! That was our longest training walk ever... THEN, I went to the zoo with the whole fam (for my precious little nephew, Jack's birthday) and I wore my pedometer so I could keep track of my mileage (10 was the goal on Sunday but my feet were aching from the start). I ended up logging almost 5 miles at the zoo that day!

The point of that absurdly long paragraph is that this whole Pledge money for my training thing worked way better than I thought it would! I managed to raise almost $100 dollars and I completed more miles in one week than I ever have before (so, even though I didn't hit my goal of 33 miles, I'm still totally proud of myself!)

This week I am only shooting for 22 miles -- I'm leaving for our annual youth convention on Tuesday and I'll drive back on Saturday morning (about a 5 hour drive) for my cousin's graduation party... SO, i'm hoping to get in 11 before I leave (6 tonight, 5 tomorrow), 5 while I'm gone at the camp and then 6 on Sunday.

Please consider being my motivation this week by pledging money per mile... It probably sounds silly and repetitive but knowing that even one person has made a pledge will get me to stay on track this week... seriously. :-)
$2/mile = $44
$1.50/mile = $33
$1/mile = $22
.50/mile = $11
or whatever you are comfortable with!

Thanks for your continued support of my training and Susan G. Komen for the 3Day for the Cure!

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Totally on track... totally.

Lynnette and I did 3 training walks last week, that's pretty good considering we had done zero in the two weeks prior (or, i had done zero, i guess). With moving and the general sleepiness (and my inability to stop unpacking) that comes with moving, training got moved to the back burner. BUT, I am pretty excited about this past weekends training experiences - let me tell you why...

1. I'm 99% sure the AVON 2day walk was over the weekend and I felt a sense of solidarity doing my training on saturday/sunday, knowing that there were thousands of men and women walking all over chicagoland in some pretty awful weather (on saturday) for the same cause!

2. On Saturday I actually had the motivation to do a long walk BY MYSELF. This is HUGE people... HUGE. The only problem is I got about two miles in and the sky turned frighteningly dark so I had to head home... then it didn't rain for a whole hour still. I was pretty disappointed that I could have gotten at least 3 more miles in, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. However, I will not overlook the fact that I got all dressed, fanny packed, water bottled, granola barred and went out on my own for what I thought was going to be a 3 hour walk.

3. On Sunday, Lynnette and I got all ready and set out for a undetermined lengthed "long" walk... We ended up doing 9 miles which was perfect and I felt pretty darn good at the end of it. Better than I have ever felt (last year included) after a walk that long. That was REALLY inspiring you guys. Makes me think that the training is paying off and hopefully that will continue to motivate me to keep on truckin'!

SO, here's the challenge to you, my dear supporters! This week I am supposed to walk 33 miles... two shorter walks of 4 and 5 miles - then 14 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Would you consider pledging a per mile amount of money for my training this week? I'll report back on Monday how many miles I walk (hopefully this challenge will get me to do them ALL) and then you can submit your donation online! (OR, if you are feeling REALLY crazy you can donate in advance and then I'll have no choice but to get in all 33 miles!)

0.50/mile = $16.50 donation
$1/mile = $33 donation
$2/mile = $66 donation
$3/mile = $99 donation
or whatever suits your fancy!

Facebook or email me or comment on this blog entry to let me know if you are interested in participating! As always, thanks for partnering with me on this nutty journey! Please remember that every penny you donate goes toward breast cancer research and education via Susan G. Komen... I'm not asking for money for me, I'm asking for a world without breast cancer.

God Bless you!

training resumes and I remember why I'm doing this crazy thang called the 3day!

So, Lynnette and I went on a big ole walk on Saturday morning - was supposed to be 8 miles but we had to wiggle our way around libertyville to avoid flooded trails at every turn (pics coming soon!) and it ended up being 8.5 miles.  Definitely my longest walk so far and my legs and back were ACHING when it was over but it felt really good at the same time... It was sort of a boost for me to keep on keepin on with my training. 

Whilst (I'm british and fancy now) we were walking, Lynnette and I got to chatting about the weirdness of raising money for something or someone.  It's strange because after a while you (the person raising the funds) begin to forget that you are raising money for a specific cause and not just for yourself.  This might sound weird so please let me explain... :-)  

Now, know that I don't mean that I ever think that the money you are donating is going into my checking account or something crazy like that.  It's just easy to fall into a line of thinking that you are being a nuisance to your supporters -- "Oh jeez, here's another update from Becca... she must need more money" -- is this true? totally... i always want to raise more money, fundraising minimum or not, more money for breast cancer research is always a good thing.  But, I know that the way I am asking for support changes... my first emails and blog entries focus on the issue - on what breast cancer does to people, to families, etc... and I focus on the solution - what Susan G. Komen and other amazing organizations are doing to seriously help put an end to breast cancer.  My emails and blog entries as of late are more about me, what I'm doing... what I'm thinking... with a little note in the end about how to donate.  

There are these guys that do the 3day every year called "The 60 Mile Men" - I follow them on twitter and facebook - they are super inspirational and they make a hilarious calendar full of "tasteful" but not so tasteful photos of themselves in order to raise money for the 3day.  They posted a great little quote the other day which is what got me thinking about this whole thing in the first place.  "Put the right light on fundraising. You aren't asking for you, you're asking for a world without breast cancer."  Gosh if that doesn't say it all then what does? right?  So, that's what this is about... am I still asking for money?  Yes, of course. :-) But I'm here today to remind you of what I'm asking for money FOR -- "A world without breast cancer." - can you imagine?  I can, and it's beautiful.

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7 things to stop doing on facebook...

 helpful AND informative!

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109538/7-things-to-stop-doing-now-on-facebook

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So, you're saying there are other causes?! :-)

So, similar to my obsession with raising money for breast cancer research - my ole pal Kristi Stephens relentlessly sticks her neck out for the cause of Human Trafficking and tons of other closely related issues... right now she's pushing to raise money for Wells for Widows in Bangledesh... it only costs $175 to provide one well... Kristi does a WAY better job of explaining this but I wanted to share this opportunity with you. Check out her blog and click away if you'd like to donate! Take care friends!

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Important Information for Women!!

I got this from a friend today and felt it was important to pass on!  Please pass it on as you feel compelled :-)

"...Dr. S said he is amazed at how many women are not aware of the folate daily requirements.

He said if all women during child-bearing years would take folate (folic acid) supplements, it would decrease the amount of neural tube birth defects by 70%!!!!! (spina bifida, cleft palate, etc. and miscarriage) CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!

...anyway, Dr. really stressed that I continue taking the folate for the rest of my child-bearing years, especially as we prepare to conceive a second baby <REMINDER: this was NOT written by Becca, just copied and pasted :-)>. He asked that I please share this message to all friends in this age bracket. Even if you are not planning to get pregnant, it is really important to take folate because it takes several months to build a reserve in the body and women accidentally get pregnant every day! We all need to be taking at least 0.4mg per day!

So, as promised, I am passing it on! PLEASE PASS THIS ON to friends, sisters, daughters, granddaughters, etc!"

**Here is some more information from the Mayo Clinic website:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/folate/NS_patient-folate

 

---

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Jack, Meet Henry.

I accidentally deleted this post today... reposting for all to see cause it's just too cute.

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one more thing...

OK, so I just read this on a fellow 3dayer's blog and I thought it "apt" (is that the right way to use that word? probably not.) to share her words of wisdom about fundraising... :-)

"If you still aren’t sure about making a donation, please remember that all walkers and crew members will be sleeping in 6x6 two person tents, taking showers in a semi-trailer, brushing our teeth at a sink outside the semi and there will be no electrical outlets for hair dryers and flat irons. We all have invested our own money purchasing the proper shoes, socks and other training gear necessary for the event and the training time alone takes away from our family time. This is a huge commitment for us and we take it seriously. Your financial support is greatly appreciated."

For real...

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Weird 3day dream & thoughts/thanks on Adam...

Weird dream about "The Walk"
OK, so I had this totally weird dream the other night that it was time for the walk... this weekend. And so far the longest walk I have logged in my training is 5 miles (I SHOULD have a 7 mile walk under my belt by now but I skipped it last week... my bad... it was freezing out). Anyways, I was totally terrified, I kept thinking, "How am I going to walk 20 miles a day with NO training?!?" But, here's the weird thing. I went to the walk anyways. So, non-dream Becca would totally NOT have done that... I would have just quit. I like dream Becca... she's much braver. I'm going to channel dream Becca whenever I don't feel like training, fundraising, etc... which is most of the time. Watch out dream Becca, here I come!

Thanks to Adam and his Family
In unrelated news. One of the college students from our church was diagnosed with leukemia on Tuesday. It's really been weighing on my brain and heart ALOT. The way that Adam, his family, his friends, etc... are handling this whole situation is amazing and inspiring. Makes me feel so thankful to be a part of the body of Christ - I bumped into Adam's mom Sue yesterday and she said that she's overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from her Christian family - that every time someone tells her that they are praying for them it's a little boost.

It's made me think alot about how I would handle this situation. If someone so close and precious to me was diagnosed with Leukemia... what if it was me? what if it was Chris? what if it was my mom? Gosh, the very thought of it makes me want to ball my eyes out right here and now. Would I trust in God? Would I believe that He really does have the whole world in His hands? I hope that I never ever have to find that out, but if I do, I will most certainly remember the Frank's and the way that God is already using them to bring hope to others through such a dark situation. You can read more about Adam at his caringbridge site.

Lynnette (one of my 3day team members) is rallying the troops for a "Night the Light" walk in the end of September - it's quite different from the 3day in that it's about 3 miles or so, and it's for leukemia research... So, OF COURSE I'm going to do it! So, stay tuned for more information about that, probably after the 3day wraps up.

Thanks for taking this journey with me. My heart and my soul are so wrapped up in this cause and I'm so thankful to have my supporters along for the ride!

I was listening to my beloved KLove in the car this morning when one of my very favorite songs came on - David Crowder Band's, How He Loves Us - here are my favorite lyrics.

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

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Easy Peezy

News Flash!  You can make up to four monthly payments when you donate to Susan G Komen, 3day for the cure!  For serious you guys! :-)  How totally easy is a $40 donation when it's broken down to $10/month? Well, I'll tell you.  It's REALLY easy.  In fact, I submit that it cannot get easier.  It cannot.

http://www.the3day.org/goto/beccawinn10

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I LOVE the Onion (fake newspaper).

Read this story and laugh.

New Law Forces CEOs To Humbly Shrug Before Receiving Massive Bonuses

I will praise you in this storm and i will lift my hands. For you are who you are no matter where i am.

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Jack, meet Henry

i think he likes him!

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Henry William

This is my new nephew henry :) born on 5/10/10. 7 lbs 12 oz 19 inches. Totally perfect and amazing. Being an auntie is the BEST!!

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it's about time.

Oh my, it's been almost two months since my last post! I got really busy with work and just put my cause on the back burner - that's no good and it comes to an end today! (Also, I had a free Saturday morning to take advantage of the free internet at Panera, so there's that also... :-)

Training Update

So, first for a quick update... since my last "entry" (if you can call two pictures an entry), I have started my training and quickly realized how frighteningly out of shape I am. Yikes. I have been training for a few weeks now with my longest walk being 5 miles... the first 5 mile walk was good, I had friends with me, we chatted, it was cold but it was nice. For the second one, I was by myself... it was awesome to listen to some worship music on my iPod, and have some good God time, the weather was PERFECT and then mile 4 hit. I wanted to lay down in the grass, eat a cheeseburger and take a nap. So, it's a rough start... that's OK, I will prevail (and I did, I called Chris for a pep talk and finished my last two miles). The weather in Chicagoland is so weird... one day it's 80, the next it's 35... not kidding! So, that doesn't help with the training situation either - I was supposed to walk 7 miles today and totally skipped it due to the 35 degree windchill we have happening out there (on May 8th!). It will warm up and I will continue with my walking... I promise. I owe it to my supporters and all of those amazing women and men, fighting this awful disease and their families who I am walking for.

So, in an effort to do much better with my training than I did last year (my longest walk was 11 miles... no good), I am posting a picture on facebook every time I do a training walk. It's working... when I don't post a picture in a few days I get questions like, "where are your pictures? why aren't you walking?" - that's the kick in the behind that I need! It's also making everyone and their mother (ok, my 400 closest facebook friends) know about my desire to put an end to breast cancer. Awareness is good and important. And I'm finding more and more friends to walk with every day (you don't have to be training for the 3day to go on a training walk... I'm just sayin...)!

So far, I have walked 23.5 half miles in my training... pretty much the equivalent to day one of the actual walk. So, I have a ways to go... I'm happy that I got started though!

Here are some of my training walk pics...

Walk 2 (forgot to take a pic of walk 1)

Walk 3

Walk 4

Walk 5

Walk 6

Fundraising Update

Now, onto fundraising... It's weird but as soon as I stopped updating my blog, I stopped getting donations - go figure! My goal this year is to raise $3000 - the minimum for the walk is $2300 but I know I can do more this year! So far I have raised $675 which is AMAZING but I still have a ways to go! Please consider donating TODAY! Remember all of the donations go to Susan G. Komen for the cure - they are an amazing organization and they have played a role in every major advancement in breast cancer treatment, etc... in the last 25 years. Your money is going to a worthy cause.

I'm going to post on my facebook page that I have updated the blog - not sure how many people will really read this but I challenge you to consider donating $10 today if you are reading this! I have 400 facebook friends... imagine what would happen if all of my facebook friends donated $10! It's so easy - just go to www.the3day.org/goto/beccawinn10 - you'll make my day!

Thank you to my readers - you rock my world.

Peace out for now!

one more thing.

I never put a picture up of Alisa and me! My inspiration! :-)

Love you cousin!














here we are waaaay back in the day at Alisa and Dave's wedding - my first time being a bridesmaid! :-)

a bold move.

OK, allow me to be honest for a moment here. I have spent the first few blogs letting you know a little bit about me and why I am so passionate about walking in the 3day and raising money to support breast cancer research and awareness... so now onto the fund raising.

Alot of people that I share with about my walk are a wee bit shocked at the amount of money that has to be raised. Allow me to explain... to walk in the 3day each walker must raise a minimum of $2300 -- so, if you raise less than that before your walk you either can not walk, or post the difference yourself and hope that you raise the money within four weeks after the walk... Is this daunting? ABSOLUTELY. Is this doable? ABSOLUTELY! Last year I raised just over $2300 with a combination of large donations (over $150) and small donations ($5-10)... The Lovely Lady Lumps raised over $11,500 as a team! Can you believe that? Almost $12,000 for breast cancer research... I am humbled by that.

So, why does Komen require the walkers to raise so much? To put it simply... we are trying to obliterate breast cancer... that is a BOLD undertaking - obviously, the more money the better. Thousands upon thousands of walkers raise way beyond $2300 each year (the average is $3000/walker)... so why not me?!

As I've been told... walking 60 miles is a BOLD move... so why not raise a BOLD amount of money? :-)

My goal this year is to raise $3000 and I know I can get there! Please remember that every dollar counts! Your support means so much to me - $1 or $100 - every dollar is another step toward overcoming this nasty disease.

Now that I have inspired you to donate, you need to know how, right? :-)

it's easy! click on the "donate" button on the right side of the page or just click on this link... http://www.the3day.org/goto/beccawinn10.

Thank you!!

A little bit about little ole me.

so, I've been thinking. Let's say that you found my blog because of my new found addiction to twitter... or, because a friend recommended (because I'm such an amazing writer)... or because you saw me put a link on my facebook page (because we are "friends" on fb even though we really don't know each other, or we haven't seen each other in 11 years...)

In any case... I haven't provided very much information about who I am and I how I got here... so (stealing the idea from my bff Kelly) I will give you some info... just not all at once cause nobody needs to learn that much about me all at once...

Where to start? How about the basics...

I was born in 1980 in Waukegan, IL. That's right, always have been a Lake County kind of gal, even from birth. I grew up in Gurnee schools, going to Great America every day in the summer, attending Gurnee Park District Day Camp (and eventually working there), and going to Gurnee Mills a million times a year the first year it opened. Gurnee is somewhat of a "tourist" town nowadays and regardless of traffic or crazy teenagers running across the street at six flags to get to Burger King, or whatever else... I love it here. It's my home. I guess that makes me a towny, er whatever.

At any rate, it's in this town that I met my handsome husband, Chris Winn many moons ago... I was about 15 (if I remember correctly) and we met at youth group at Village Church of Gurnee (where we still attend, and serve as youth leaders.. isn't that precious?). There is no way that I could ever accurately recap our crazy relationship so I'll reallllly break it down for you...

• In high school - Chris liked me, i didn't like him like "that" - except for every now and then when it was convenient for me. i was a jerk. (you can imagine how this played itself out)


• In college - I liked Chris, he didn't like me - except for every now and then when it was convenient for him...


• As "adults" (post-college) - we liked each other for all the wrong reasons - bad decisions ensued.


• As actual "adults" (am I REALLY an adult?) we liked each other for all the right reasons. We dated for two years and got engaged 2 days before my 27th birthday (i'll share that store another time when I need something to blog about - it was really cute though, just trust me). We tied the knot on February 15th, 2008... almost exactly two years ago from when i am writing this post... my how time flies!

That's probably enough for now!

The original "Why I Walk"

I realize that I just launched into this crazy blog without even so much as an explanation as to how I got started in this nutty business of walking 60 miles in the first place. Well. Allow me to explain.

In October of 2008 my dear, beautiful, amazing, strong warrior of a cousin, Alisa, was diagnosed with breast cancer. It rocked our whole family and has certainly changed us forever. I was telling my very good friend Lynnette about it and she said, "We have to do one of those walks next year!" Then, in February of 2009, breast cancer claimed the life of a beautiful young mother who attended our church (Village Church of Gurnee). That sealed the deal. We attended a "get started meeting" and signed up that night.

As I started my journey last year, I sent out what felt like millions of emails about my cause to my friends, family, acquaintances and even some strangers. I didn't have any idea what was in store for me! Throughout this journey, I learned of so many people in my life, in my friend's lives, in my loved one's lives (and so on, and so forth) who had been affected by breast cancer. I knew it was out there... I knew it affected people that I know... but I never knew to what extent. I also learned ALOT about breast cancer research, treatments, etc... and how far we have come over the last 20 years or so. When I learned that the breast cancer fatality rates are dropping and the early detection rates are rising, I really got hooked. I remember sitting at that meeting thinking, wow... we are really doing this... we are really curing breast cancer. My $2300 will make a difference.

So, I bought some new shoes and I trained (well, sort of... :-)... I sent more emails... I met more people... I learned more about breast cancer (both because of the walk and because of the treatments/surgeries/etc. that my cousin was going through). By the time the walk was over, I couldn't imagine not doing it again. When I watched what Alisa endured I knew that walking 60 miles, and raising $2300 (well, $3000 this year!), was nothing in comparison. And, as long as I have two legs that work and the amazing support system of friends and family that came along side me last year, I will walk. Maybe it won't always be in the 3day... but I will never cease to do my part, as long as I am able.

Like I said in my first post - I really can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are so close to finding a cure - I can't quit now.

My beautiful cousin Alisa is recovering well from a crazy year of chemo, surgeries, radiation, infections, too many hospital visits to count, etc... her beautiful hair is growing back and looking better (and softer!) than ever... she has color back in her cheeks... she's Alisa again! She is recovering because people cared enough to support the cause of breast cancer research... advancements have been made and they are saving people's lives. Alisa is living proof.

a heavy heart.

Gosh I hate cancer. I mean, I HATE it. Sneaking around, stealing lives too early... robbing children of their mothers, robbing husbands of their wives, stealing lives...

I write this post with a very heavy heart. A friend (three times removed) was given one or two more days to live as of last night. She is in a coma. The cancer invaded her nervous system and her body can no longer function. She has two young boys who will no longer have a mother.

When I think about this, I get angry. Angry to the point of tears.

So, I decided last night that I will not let the anger win. I will turn it into something beautiful. I will turn it into hope. I will not forget the progress that's been made. I will not forget the hundreds of thousands of breast cancer survivors. I will not forget that my God is in charge... yes, even in charge of cancer. And, last but not least, I will NOT give up. I will do everything I can while I am on this earth to make it so that my children, or my grand children won't have to deal with this anger that I feel today. (Side note: Yes, mom... i said "Children or Grand Children"... should the Lord decide to "bless" us with them. :-)

Why I Walk.

There are a million things I could tell you in this, my first post as a blogger... but I have decided to keep it simple.

Here's what I REALLY want you to know about why I am doing this... I TRULY believe, with every fiber of my being, that we can find a cure for breast cancer and that it can happen in my lifetime.

There are a lot of statistics coming up in this blog entry but I really want you, my supporters, to understand:
1.) what we are up against,
2.) what advancements have been made in the past two decades and
3.) why it’s so important that we don’t give up the fight!

Did you know that in a lifetime, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer?

Did you know that in the US, in 2009, there were an estimated 194,280 new cases of breast cancer in women and men and 40,610 deaths?

The good news is that new diagnostic tools allow physicians to detect cancer at earlier stages and new treatment strategies -- chemotherapy, hormonal and new biological therapies, like Herceptin are helping to save lives and reduce suffering.

There has been and continues to be a decline in death from breast cancer. To be clear, there are still approximately 40,000 women dying of breast cancer each year in the United States, but the breast cancer mortality rate has been slowly declining.

Why the 3day? Here's something you may not know about Susan G Komen for the cure....

Komen has sustained a strong commitment to supporting research that will identify and deliver cures for breast cancer. This commitment has resulted in important progress that has contributed to every major advancement in breast cancer over the past 25 years. With increasing investments over time, Komen is now the largest non-government funder of breast cancer research.

Here’s the wrap-up. I learned A LOT about breast cancer and everything to do with it last year through this experience. But, the most important thing I learned is that WE CAN FIND A CURE! And, I want to do my part. Won’t you join me on my quest?

Click on the "Donate" button to the right or just visit my page to donate today or to join my team!