The 3 Day: Day 2

On Day 1, we had a huge send off at Qwest Field. All the pomp and circumstance you could imagine; there was music playing, dancing and HIGH energy. On Day 2…….everyone woke up gradually and just started walking. I remember thinking “when does the band arrive?” LOL. No band….no DJ….just us and the will to complete what we started 20 miles ago. The Walk was September 16, 17 and 18. Some hot summer days, however, it was cold in the morning! One of the “outfits” that I brought with me consisted of a pink T-shirt the Purr “Kittie” logo on it. I had also asked people that donated to my goal to give me a name of someone they knew that had suffered with breast cancer. I wrote all of their names on this T-shirt and made a promise to those people that I would carry them with me on my walk. But, we got showered, grabbed breakfast and started on our way.

I don’t want anyone to be fooled; The Walk is hard on your body and your feet in particular. 60 miles is a long way to walk. But, we were all very determined no more so than Barbie who said from the beginning of Day 2 “I’m not riding that Fucking van again”. I could tell that come hell or high water, Barbie was going to walk her cut butt right into that camp tonight and the team was going to make sure that she did. As we walked throughout the day, we all laughed at the crazy costumes. I began to specifically notice people. Because we were walking at our own pace, we could leave camp whenever we wanted; the crowd was a lot thinner. I loved the costumes, but one lady in particular, who will eventually become a sister of mine at closing, was wearing a cute and crazy outfit; a pink tutu with LOTS of flair and a long, pink foam tube shaped like a pink ribbon hanging over her back side. How can anyone get up and put all that on and start walking again this early? That was Tori……and she showed me how it’s done. However, Tori was not the only one; there were soooo many fun and creative costumes out there and I for one really appreciated seeing them because sometime, that is all that I had to help me continue walking. I’d see some pink bumble bee strutting by with a smile on her face and it made me smile. I never got her name, but I will never forget.

The team was still very aware of Barbie’s sore heals and would checked on her from time to time, but Miss Thing was good to go. She was getting her walk on. Now, I am not sure what was going on in B’s mind as she walked on Day 2, however, if I were a betting man, I’d bet she was thinking about how she had beat cancer once and she was going to show it, yet again, the she will not go out like a chump. She had something to prove to herself and to cancer. It was our job to make sure she accomplished what she wanted to. Brandon, Ryan and I were there just to support her. Personally, I was going to make sure that I walked 60 miles for Barbie and everyone else that has been touched by this disease. That T-shirt full of names was giving me the strength I needed. One of the funny comments that B made was about all the hills on the course. I’m not sure what the SGK folks were thinking, but when they made that course, they made sure we hit every hill in Bellevue! LOL……at least it felt that way.

And……we……walked…..and walked…..and walked some more.

So, we are still walking. And our pace has slowed up a bit, B was feeling the pain, but as long as we did not go too fast, she was good to go. Sporadically, she would get these tremendous boosts of energy and take off walking like her life depended on it. And, at one point, her life did. Cancer had taken a toll on this lady’s life and body, but her soul and character had never been better. If anything, she had evolved into a super-human like entity that viewed things in life with a different set of eyes. Most people work hard to find a way to reinvent themselves, I know I do. But this is different, I’m sure and shared by only a select few that are unluckily-lucky enough to through a diagnosis and survive as Barbie and way too many others had. There was strength in her that I don’t even think she knew she had…..but she did, and she was about to show us all what she was truly made of.

At one point, we were walking through this really cut neighborhood in Bellevue or Redmond and we had been listening to a little iPod docking station that Ryan had brought with him. We started listening to it around the Microsoft Campus….not sure why I remember that, but I do. Anyway, the music selection was great and really helped to pass the time away, after all, all we are doing is walking. So, while in this cute little neighborhood, I suggested that we let me play something from my iPod. Of course, they all started joking with me about Fantasia….LOL! So, as my play list started, the songs were great, and then some hip-hop came on……still alright. Then, the language started getting a little edgy, however no one said anything. Until……..Barbie was walking in front of me and one of the song’s lyrics was N-word and I saw Barbie’s shoulders tighten up, girlfriend does not like that word and doesn’t care if it’s in a song. I did giggle just a bit, but decided to change the music; I had put them through enough of it already! LOL

As we continued to do the only thing we could do……..walk, we noticed that as we arrived at each Pit Stop, we were barely making it before the Pit Stop closed. That let us know we were towards the end of the pack and those Sweeper Vans were circling us like birds of prey, ready to lift us and take us home. NO! We came here to walk and walk we did. Now, I know we walked 60 miles that weekend and I can recall them all pretty good, but it’s this last 5 miles or so that will define me as person and solidify the strength of friendship and love that we all shared during this walk.

By about 15 miles into the day, we were all pretty done. My feet hurt a little, but it was my knee that was giving me the biggest issue. I popped me a few Advil and kept it moving. Ryan and Brandon had walked ahead while Barbie and I took our time. You see, she was not taking a ride….I pretty much begged her…..but after the last time I asked, the look in her face said “Cookie, I love you, but if you ask me that one more time, I’m gonna put my foot up your cookie bowl!”. LOL! She was bound and determined to walk it and I was just as determined to make sure she did.

One of the event staff, this really tall slender guy, started showing up on a bicycle a lot. He would ride along side of us and talk with us, making sure we were alright. He was sooooo sweet to us. His job was to sweep the route to check for the last walkers and report back to camp their whereabouts. He was really good at his job. His name was Nick (I think). He works the event all across the country and so does his wife. As a side note, the men that participated in this event were awesome! They were there for the same reason as the rest of us and it was. Some of them had watched their mothers, wives, sisters and friends battle breast cancer and survive and some were there in memory of. I can’t tell you enough how much love was in the air over this weekend, God was all over the place. So, Nick has now gotten off of his bike and is walking with Barbie and me. Again, Barbie tells Nick that she is not going to take a ride and I am not going to camp without her….so we are walking. And, he walked with us. Nick became part of the team because we all talked like we were old friends. We had asked him how far we had to go and he said it was about 2 miles…..but he said that 3 miles ago! LOL……it took all the strength we had to laugh at that. But, to the right of us we could see the top of the big white tent that housed the dining area. We really were close!!

We had reached the crossing guards that had made sure that all of the walkers were safe at the various street crossings throughout the walk. They had all gathered at the entrance of Marymoor Park to cheer us on and I am glad they did, that gave us that last bit of a push to get closers.

There’s a lady with a drum.

Then……..we see the entrance to the camp! As we get closer there is a rush inside of me that is just about overwhelming. As we enter the camp and get our credentials, we are home…..we are the last walkers and WE MADE IT!! We were not done yet. If you remember, the night before they had announced that the last walkers have made it to camp…..well they announced it again and this time, it was me and Barbie. The other walkers and volunteers came from everywhere to cheer us on. They handed me and Barbie the flag to hoist as she and I inched out way to that flagpole. I had held myself together so far, but I looked over at B and saw strength I had never witnessed and determination I hope to experience at least once in my life and I began to sob. People, one by one, came out and hug us and we sobbed. We made eye contact with Brandon and Ryan……they came to us and hug us and we sobbed.

And Barbie hoisted that flag!

The night came to a close with dinner and a dance party. Me and Brandon stayed up for a bit and socialized with a few of the other walkers. Ryan had gone to bed. Barbie said good night to us and we watched her walking through the grass to our tents and as she did that, I thought to myself “Thank you, God, for carrying us those last 5 miles”.

Barbie has a tattoo that says “I just want to live while I’m alive…..it’s my life” On that day…..she lived and was truly alive. Bring on Day 3!