60 miles, 3 days, 1 cause <br>Tara's PledgePage for the 2002 Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day!

Hi! My name is Tara Walsh. This October, I'm walking in the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day in Atlanta, Georgia. That's 60 miles in 3 days. Sure, it's a long way. But I would walk 1000 miles if it meant finding a cure for breast cancer.

My friend Courtney and I have formed a team for this year's event. So far it's just the two of us, but it only takes two to make a team. We finally decided on a team name - we are The Boobie Brigade! (click here to visit Courtney's PledgePage!)

Courtney and I are great friends and we have a lot in common. Unfortunately, one of the the things she and I have in common is that we have both lost our mothers to cancer.

My mom, Jill, fought breast cancer, went through chemo and finally went into remission. Two years after her initial diagnosis, we found out that the cancer had spread to her brain. Again, chemo and radiation, even surgery this time, all to no avail. My mom passed away in January 2000.

Last year, I saw an ad in Shape magazine for this walk. I decided to walk in Atlanta the weekend of Oct. 5-7, 2001, since that was the weekend of my mom's birthday. I registered last May and started training and fundraising by June. I raised about $2300 by two weeks before the event and then I ended up at the orthopedist. A week and a half before Day Zero and I had a stress fracture in my right foot. No walking for me! I was very disappointed, but was allowed to switch to crew. Those 4 days were one of the most incredible experiences of my life. By the end of the weekend, I was already registered for this year's event.

I am in training again, and am keeping my fingers crossed for an injury-free year. Every participant must raise a minimum of $1900. My personal goal this year is $3000. Please consider sponsoring me for as much as you possibly can.

I'm walking in Atlanta in memory of my mom, in memory of Courtney's mom, for all the other women who lost the battle against breast cancer and for those that loved them. I am walking so that no one else will lose their mom, their daughter, their wife, their friend. I am walking so that when I have daughters, they won't have to worry about having a 1 in 8 chance of getting breast cancer.

Thank you to all my supporters from last year, and thank you in advance to all the people who will support me this year. Think about 8 women that you know; then think about the fact that one of those 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Please help in any way you can to help lower those odds and eventually eradicate this disease completely.

Make sure to sign the guest book so I know who you are, and thanks for visiting my pledge page! If you have any questions or want any additional information, please email me.