With Spring here at last (at least on the calendar!), it is time to get ready for warm weather outdoor activities. This blog is about Meister Beth Cohan who is training for the Susan G. Komen Three Day Walk for the Cure. Beth is participating in the 60-mile Walk in Philadelphia later this year. Read this interview about her inspiring story...Kim Goodnow: Tell me about what first got you interested in the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer 3Day Walk?Beth Cohan: In 1994 I was 34 years old and was diagnosed with breast cancer. I spent a year going through treatment; chemo, radiation and a couple of surgeries. I've been lucky to have moved beyond that and I have always given money to support breast cancer research. A couple of years ago my daughter Eliza said she really wanted to do the Susan Komen Three Day Walk with me. I told her that I felt like breast cancer had had enough of my life. My daughter told me to get over myself! So, we decided to do our first Walk inBoston in July 2011 during a record breaking heat wave!Kim: Are you and Eliza a team? Do you have a team name? Beth: Yes, we are the Boston Pink Ladies! Kim: Boston was your first walk together.Beth: Yes, our first Walk was in Boston starting in Framingham and looping through Hopkinton, Natick, Concord, Lexington, into Cambridge across the Charles and ending in Boston.We did Atlanta last summer and walked all around the city of Atlanta, down town, Buck Head, Stone Mountain. It is actually a really cool way to get to see a city and its people. There are definitely sad moments in each of the walks also. There was an occasion in both Boston and Atlanta where we met young girls about my daughter Eliza's age who saw my daughter and I walking together. Each had lost her mom. You have to stop and say a few words. Your lives intercept for a moment and as corny as it sounds, in a pretty meaningful way and you don't forget these people. I can picture both of them very clearly and realize how incredibly lucky I am. It is a reminder that I have a great reason to walk: I have a daughter and I am still here.I also like to think I can help in a small way to spare other people from going through it. Susan G. Komen has done so much for breast cancer. Breast cancer is now detected much earlier. It has a much higher cure rate in America, but that is not true around the world. That is really more of its focus now. Kim: How was the whole experience - the highs, the lows...Beth: It's a completely wonderful experience. I usually come from a cynical point of view on these kinds of things, but a rock could not help but be moved by how really inspirational this Walk is. The Three Day starts when you first sign up for it. Each walker has to raise a minimum of $2,300. It is a high bar and a lot of money to ask for. I have done it two years in a row and people have been terrific.Kim: What do you do to prepare for the Walk?Beth: After fund raising, the next challenge is the training. The Komen organization is very helpful giving suggested training tips and schedules. It boils down to walking two to three times during the week starting from three miles up to maybe seven miles. On the weekends you do your longer walks; one weekend is 9 miles Saturday and then 7 miles Sunday. The next weekend you do 11 miles and 9 miles and so on. Kim, you know a little bit about that because you joined me on one of them.Kim: I did! We walked 10 miles together, and I wasn't sure I would be able to walk the next day.Beth: One of the amazing things about the Walk is you see people of all shapes and sizes, colors, persuasions, young and old - they are all walking. You get this real spirit of determination and it's this spirit and the entire community that spurs you on to complete it. Kim: It sounds like there is a lot of support for the Walk. What happens during the Walk?Beth: One of the things I found just incredible is the out pouring of support from the local communities. The Walk itself is the reward. There is a big send off and a celebration where people give very touching speeches. People come up on stage holding banners saying simply mother or daughter or sister or best friend. There are people who commemorate or honor a loved one that has had breast cancer and survived or has had breast cancer and not survived. There are a lot of moving stories that get told and get shared and there is also a huge amount of humor.Once, we walked by an entire home wrapped in pink ribbons all the way around it. Along the way there are so many homes with ribbons and posters supporting us. There are regular stops that Komen sets up to pass out snacks and drinks. But there are also neighbors everywhere, including in the commercial areas, who stand outside offering support. (Some set up stands of chairs because they were going to sit there for the entire day!)These folks hand out candy and lemonade and salty snacks, extra water bottles and first aid supplies. They are there to cheer you on and shout out support. Some hold up signs for people they know who are walking and for others they don't know. They were just there for support. Some of the homes we passed held up signs with names and pictures and stories of people they had loved and lost to breast cancer, thanking us for the support. It is an absolutely wonderful, unforgettable experience. One walker in Boston stands out in my mind...as it is mostly women who are walking, but there are also some men. In Boston, there was a gentleman who was very noticeable because he was very tall, and also because he was walking in absolutely nothing except for pink sneakers, pink socks, and pink boxers. In Atlanta, the stand out for me were the crossing guards at intersections. I found Atlanta Police Officers look stereotypically tough and even a little bit mean with the high black polished boots, black jackets and the reflecting Ray-bans. Until you realize that they are wearing pink tutus to support us! Kim: What are the arrangements when you are doing the Three Day? Are there medics available, do you sleep in tents? Beth: Every city has a camp site that stays in the same location on both nights, so that you walk to and from it on different routes each day Local hotels also give discount rates to the walkers and there are shuttle buses along the route. There are medical tents at every stop and medical vans that constantly circle the route that you can flag down if someone needs help.Kim: Susan G. Komen is focusing internationally now, not just nationally? Beth: Yes, both. Also the crew members are amazing. These folks work harder than we do; they make it all happen! The stories go on and on; they are touching and they are sweet. Kim: Good luck in the Philadelphia Walk! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience Beth. Beth: I want to thank Woodmeister for its support. This walk is now in my blood. Komen holds walks in 14 cities across the country. I have two walks down and hopefully 12 or so left to go. My goal is to do one a year until I get through every one of the cities. And then if I'm lucky, I might start all over again!
