Family Fights to End Breast Cancer with Every Step

Mothers. Fathers. Brothers. Sisters. Aunts. Uncles. Daughters. Sons. Friends. The list of those affected by breast cancer goes on and on. For me, my 17-year-old daughter, Emily Henderson, and my 12-year-old daughter, Mackenzie Miller, our aunt is why we lace up our shoes to show never-ending support in the fight to end breast cancer.

We have embarked on a physical and emotional journey in preparing for the 2012 Susan G. Komen Washington, D.C., 3-Day, 60 Mile Walk for the Cure. Like other 3-Day participants, we understand that breast cancer knows no boundaries, so committing to raise a minimum of $2,300 per walker and walking 60 miles in three days is an important step in ridding the world of the disease.

We have been participating in our local Komen Race for the Cure for many years. We also volunteer for the local affiliate, and Emily and I are on the Southeastern WI Race for the Cure Committee. But, this year, we needed to do more. Sixty miles is no easy task, but this is something we can do. Something we must do. We walk because we cannot walk away.

The 3-Day event takes place in 14 cities around the country. My daughters and I selected Washington, D.C., because we hope to remind the politicians that there are real people that are affected by their policies and laws, whether it is enacting health care laws or allocating funds for research. We plan to tie pink ribbons on the White House fence to remind them of our fight.

The 3-Day event starts on Friday morning and finishes with a Closing Ceremony on Sunday afternoon, October 12-14. Walkers cover about 20 miles a day and sleep in pink tents with hundreds of volunteer crew members supporting the walkers through the 3-Day journey.

I am also very excited to announce that Mackenzie applied for and was accepted to be a part of the Youth Corps. The Youth Corps are children between the ages of 10-16 who are too young to walk in the event but want to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. They volunteer for four days and three nights and help with a variety of tasks to support the walkers and medical staff.

About 425,000 women around the world died of breast cancer in 2010. To help us reach our goal of a world without breast cancer, please make a tax-deductible donation by visiting one of our fundraising pages at www.the3day.org/goto/heathermiller or www.the3day.org/goto/emilyhenderson or www.the3day.org/goto/mackenziemiller  Donations can be split up in to four easy monthly payments. And, please know that any donation makes a tremendous difference!

Please let us know if you are donating in someone's honor. We will be putting their names on a T-shirt to wear during the walk. 

With hope — Heather Miller