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Walk--Walk--Walk--Drink--Drink--Drink--Talk--Talk--Talk--Eat--Eat By Diane North, Editor I did it!! I walked sixty miles in the Tampa Bay area to help find a cure for breast cancer. Three days of love, understanding, friendship, laughter and tears. Three days of the world as we wish it could be. The $2,300 you helped me raise also helped me to go on, when I thought I couldn't walk one more step, was steadfast in my mind. Thank you to my wonderful friends and new acquaintances that pushed my badge holders and eyeglass holders, and everyone who purchased my wares. Thank you to Fort Lauderdale Main Facility employees, Plantation employees and Oakland Park employees who purchased and pushed my wares. You are too numerous to mention individually but, you were all there with me, in my heart at all times. The journey was long and hard. My feet were tired and sore, but my spirit was good. I made some memories I will never forget. The first day we started out in Coachmen Park on the Gulf of Mexico. The day was a little drizzly and cloudy, but the spirits were not. We walked along the Pinellas Trail ( a trail to rails path), and gazed in wonder at the beautiful scenery in Clearwater. I only had to use a rain poncho once that day. After twelve miles and a few pit stops, we stopped for lunch. (You need to know that the staff was all volunteer and the most uplifting people) At every pit stop there were people dressed in funny costumes giving out stickers to put on our badges and to cheer us on. The crew made sure we all hydrated and ate the right snacks to keep us going. That night we had a grand two hour rainstorm in the middle of the night. Did I mention we were sleeping in tents? Well, the tents were not exactly waterproof. Needless to say, my gear and I got a little damp. We began day two on the Tampa Bay. We walked all around the Tampa Bay and the sun was blaring. You know we walked sometimes for miles with the same people and talked about our lives and our families, and then a rest stop would come up and we would start out walking at different times and be with someone else. This is how it was through the whole walk. Ten times a day you could pass the same person or them you and we would laugh, greet each other and inquire as to how we were doing. Sometimes during day two I called my friends from Suncoast Area Local APWU (who I was actually staying with the night before and the night after the walk) and asked how far they were from the elementary school we were to camp in that night. As it was, they were only a few blocks away. "Do you think you can pick me up tonight and bring me back in the morning?" I inquired. Of course they did and so the second night I had a nice warm shower and a nice comfy bed for my aching body. On day three we walked past the beautiful homes on Bayshore Boulevard and then stopped at the Convention Center for lunch. The weather was good, the breeze was great and I was driven by the fact that I had some people cheering me on that day. I knew that somewhere along the route after three days of cheering station with no one I knew I was finally going to see some familiar faces. Don't get me wrong, I cried when the sweet little Daisy Scouts sprayed me with water and cheered me on; I was warm inside when the Catholic High School cheerleaders did special cheers for us, but; there is nothing like seeing two good friends coming down the road screaming your name. I would publicly like to thank my good friend Carolyn Pierce for coming to Tampa to cheer me on in my insane endeavor, and my other friend and her family, Carroll Ann who put us up and treated us like royalty. We ended our journey at the Raymond James Stadium and once again I was greeted by my loyal friends along with hundreds of other cheering people. I felt like a winner! How else could I describe all the emotions that were going on inside from this accomplishment. I WALK BECAUSE I BELIEVE...WE CAN FIND A CURE FOR BREAST CANCER. |
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