Street Team Day!

I can't believe that the walk is in less than two weeks!  This past Saturday Patty, Cheryl, Alexa, Dylan, and I all journeyed into Waltham to be part of Street Team Day.  With the 3Day being such a large event, I believe there are over 1,500 walkers in Boston this year, there is so much preparation that goes into it.  Once the route is established, it is important for all the local businesses along the way to be informed that masses of people will be walking down their street.  Letters are sent out to them asking them to support us.  We were responsible for letting residents know about the walk, and asking them to support us in any way. 

We met at Panera in Waltham to receive our instructions.   Our packet contained a map, signs, tape, and hot pink cards to hand out to residents.  From there we drove to our starting location.  All I can say is that our section started in Arlington and continued through Winchester.  We parked the car and began walking the route.  We were assigned about 3.5 miles, so we figured we would stick together, paper the entire thing, and then walk back to the car.  We started early, around 8:30ish so we assumed that most residents would be asleep.  Not even a half mile into the route we passed a street sign saying, "Beverly Road."  Beverly was Patty's mother's name.   She passed away from breast cancer when Patty was just 22.  She was never able to meet Alexa and Katie.  I stopped everyone and told them that we had to take a picture to honor her.  After a few minutes of tear-filled eyes, we were on our way.

Along the way we did meet a few people and explained what we were doing.  There was one very kind woman who told us she would have some water, balloons, and signs waiting for us.  As I have said before, the communities that we walk through really make this walk what it is.  When you feel like you are just about to drop, you turn the corner and there are kids with lemonade, frozen grapes and chocolate, pink balloons, and upbeat music blaring.  That support just pushes your feet to keep taking one step after the other.  We could have used some of that support on Saturday as it was scorching hot.  We are used to doing the majority of our training in the cooler, early morning hours.  There were definitely some times when we were dragging.

The most inspiring part of the day was watching Alexa and Dylan.  These two kids are really something special.  They are both so confident in themselves, and are willing to take on any task given to them.  As we walked into Panera, they comfortably talked with volunteers that they had never met before.  They also thought nothing of walking up to someone's door and explaining what the 3Day is.  And, they walked all 7 miles without one complaint!  The fact that 2 teenagers did all of this is simply outstanding.  It is a real tribute to their parents.

After we finished papering, the 3.5 miles back seemed a lot longer than it was.  Patty, the crazy athletic nut that she is, decided that she would run ahead and get the car.  For the last mile of the walk we kept anticipating the navy blue mini-van coming around the next corner.  When she arrived, we all hopped into the car, cranked the air-conditioning, and headed back to Panera for some lunch.  After a delicious tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad, it was time for the journey home.  

Royally yours,
Sherri

Lights, Camera, Action!

As many of you already know, the past two weeks have been very exciting for the Tough Warrior Princesses!  As I said in my last blog, both Patty and I submitted our stories to the New Balance casting call.  After the creative team reviewed them, they decided that they needed to know more information about this fabulous group of women.   I was given a phone number and a time to call in for my interview.  You all know how much I like to talk, especially about the 3Day, but for this I was really nervous.  I think I do much better face to face.  I don't think I could ever have a job where I had to make conference calls.  Plus, when I wrote my initial response to their questions, I wrote over two pages.  They knew my story.  What else was there to say?  Patty's interview was at 9:30 and I was scheduled to call in at 10:30.  Around 10:05 my phone rings and it is New Balance telling me that they are ready for my call.  I grab my notes, announce to my family that there should be no interruptions, and head to my room where I close the door behind me. 

When the phone is answered there are several people on the other line.  I was so nervous, I don't remember exactly how many, but I think it was around 6?  They all seemed very pleased with what Patty had told them, and they asked me to expand on a few things, like how we got our name.  I told them the story of how my cousin Kimm and her friend Suzanne came over shortly after I was diagnosed.  Suzanne had a shirt from her friend Jen who created the company Emotional Armor.  The shirt was black and in hot pink letters it said, "tough warrior princess."  That shirt said it all.  That was what I was.  It didn't matter that I had lost my breast. It didn't matter that I was going to be bald.  I was fighting a battle with cancer and I was going to win.  So when I first decided to do the 3Day, what better name was there for our team.  They also asked me to talk about each of the amazing women who will be joining me on this journey.  After a few more questions, they told me that they would be in touch with us.  I hung up the phone feeling confident with my conversation.

My conference call took place on a Tuesday.  On Thursday we each received phone calls from New Balance asking us to go to Element Productions on the following Tuesday to conduct an on-camera interview.  Seriously!?!  We never thought that we would make it this far. I immediately began to panic.  I had to lose weight, get my hair highlighted and figure out what I was going to wear.  I knew that at least I would be able to do 2 of those things, so I got on it.  Tuesday morning Patty had to work in Boston, so we agreed to meet at Element.  After trying on clothes for at least an hour, I chose a simple brown skirt, white t-shirt, and of course a pink linen jacket.  As I walked out of my air-conditioned house I thought I was going to melt, but I felt that I looked the best I was going to, so I went with it.

When Patty and I arrived, we were brought into a room with a camera, a large screen, and four chairs.  The chairs were in pairs and were facing each other--Patty and I on one side, the interviewers on the other.  It didn't seem too intimidating until they told us that the creative team would be behind the screen watching us on monitors and taking notes.  We were then outfitted with mics and sat down to wait.  Our interviewers told us that if we were chosen, today would be the most difficult part of the entire process.  As we sat there, they asked us to tell our stories again.  They had questions about what brought us together, and how we are different.  We just sat there and talked.  After a few moments we forgot that the camera was even there.  The interview lasted a little under an hour.  We actually enjoyed ourselves, and we thought that the creative team did too.  They told us that they had one more interview, and they would be in touch soon.  As Patty and I walked out, we thought we nailed it.  It seemed like everyone genuinely enjoyed themselves, and the people from New Balance and Element were moved by our story.  Now it was time to sit and wait again, with fingers crossed of course.

We hurried home and changed into our Tough Warrior Princess shirts to head up to Flatbread for our fundraiser that evening.  We are so fortunate to have a business in our community that offers such a fabulous fundraising opportunity.  The community came out in droves, despite the soaring temperatures.  We sold pink ribbons to honor those who have battled cancer.  We will be carrying these ribbons during our entire 60 miles.  The restaurant was packed, and some people had to wait a while to receive their order--the sign of a successful night.  We packed up at around 9:30, happy with the day.

The following morning I continually watched the clock.  Were they interviewing today, or did they complete it yesterday?  I felt in my heart that we would know that day.  I thought about what it would mean if we were chosen.  Would we have to wear all New Balance attire?  Sneakers too?  I love my sneakers, but they are not New Balance.  What does the rest of the team think of this?  Patty and I never even discussed it with each other when we submitted applications, never mind the rest of the team.  If we were selected it was going to change the entire walk.  Didn't I want everyone to experience the 3Day the way that I did?  I was so excited, but also slightly ambivalent.  That ambivalence didn't stop me from constantly checking my email and voicemail.

At around 3:00 I once again checked my email--nothing.  I was going back to the pool resigned to the fact that we probably didn't get chosen.  While swimming around my father says, "I think some of your friends are here."  Huh?  Who was stopping by?  I look up and see Patty, Cheryl, and Patty's daughter Katie getting out of the car.  OMG!  Did we get it?  OMG again!  Yes, we did!  Holy Cow!  I had to go inside and check out the email from NB.

I found out that they would be outfitting the entire team from head to toe.  As I said earlier, many of us don't generally wear NB sneakers which makes us nervous.  Walking 60 miles is one thing, but walking 60 miles in sneakers that you haven't broken in is another.  They have shipped us Flip cameras to film some of our training walks.  I also found out that they would be attending our team pool party at Patty's house.   They would like to film us making signs and preparing for our tent decorating, which we will DEFINITELY win this year.  I hope that NB will understand, but there is no way that I will be filmed in a bathing suit unless it is from the neck up.  They may also be meeting us at Cheryl's house on the morning of the walk.  We are all gathering there and taking a party bus to Framingham for Opening Ceremonies.  After reading all of the details it was still surreal to me.  I decided it was time to take a break from the computer and call some friends to share my news.  Of course one of the first people I called was Tracy.  She was absolutely thrilled for us.  She is a TWP at heart.

Later that afternoon I was still flying high.  I didn't think the day could get any better, then I checked my email again.  I had received a message from Meredith, the Field Coordinator for the Boston 3Day, and in it she asked if I would like to be a flag bearer in the Survivor Circle at Opening and Closing Ceremonies.  If you read my blog last year, you are aware that this is something that I have always wanted.  I was honored, but it was bittersweet.  All I have thought about this year is that I will have 3 amazing women by my side in the Survivor Circle.  Being a flag bearer means I will be with 7 other women up on a platform, not with my team; however, there was no way I could pass up this opportunity.  Of course I would be a flag bearer.

So the last few days have been filled with the craziness that goes along with being chosen.  Patty and I drove up to the New Balance Outlet to try on sneakers and apparel yesterday.  If we are going to be on camera, we have to look our best.  I have had numerous emails and phone calls with New Balance giving sizes, and discussing details about shipping.  New Balance has graciously offered to make us our team t-shirts!  We are absolutely thrilled!  One of our main concerns was that we did not want the Princess to get lost in all of this.

In the meantime, this weekend a few of us will be part of the 3Day Street Team where we go around to businesses along the route and ask them to place signs in their windows supporting the 3Day.  The exciting thing is that we get to see where we are walking.  Shhh!  We can't tell!  It is a secret!

I'm sure I will have lots to share over the next two weeks.  I have to say again, thank you to everyone for your support.  The Tough Warrior Princesses would not be where they are without all of you!  XO

Royally yours,
Sherri 

26 Days and Counting...

I can't believe it has been a month since I have last written.  Yesterday, when I had two people ask me when I was going to write another blog, I had to motivate myself.  Here goes.

Training has kicked in to high gear recently.  I was nervous about this because I had sprained my ankle a few weeks ago.  I was hanging new drapes, stepped off my couch, and rolled it.  Stupid, I know.  I had an aircast for a while, but now it is feeling much better; however, I was tentative about this weekend because it is the toughest of the entire training schedule.  Saturday we walked 18 miles!  Yes, I said 18.  Seven of us met at Patty's house at 6AM.  Kaitlyn lives too far away, Gretchen had soccer, and Maurine would possibly join us midway.  We walked to downtown Amesbury, up the Riverwalk, and all along the river to Vicky's house in Merrimac.  It was a beautiful walk because much of the road along the river is closed.  The views were delightful, and there was often a refreshing breeze.  We stopped at Vicky's, the halfway point, and had breakfast--lots of high protein food.  While there, Maurine called and said she would be joining us for some of the walk.  Speaking of Maurine, that woman absolutely amazes me.  After being diagnosed a second time, being part of a clinical trial with drugs she doesn't know much about, her mother's recent passing, and just the general crazy life that goes along with 2 adolescent boys, she ALWAYS manages to make people laugh.  Her upbeat personality is an inspiration to us all.  I am in awe of the fact that she is even attempting to do this walk.  I don't know if I could have while I was in treatment.  Fortunately, she was able to walk with us for a few miles.  Just as we turned up Rocky Hill Road we saw Gretchen, who was out on the second half of her walk.  With our crazy lives, we sometimes have to break up our longer walks because of our kids' commitments--soccer, baseball, dance, gymnastics.  Even though Gretchen was headed in the other direction, we grabbed her and forced her to come with us.  After a quick stop at DD, we finished up the last few miles.  It was really beginning to get hot, and we were happy to have the longest of our training walks completed.

While training, your body becomes used to walking almost every day.  Walking 10 miles feels like a piece of cake; however, 18 completely exhausts you.  Your body is in good enough shape to generally not feel too sore, but you are just physically tired.  I think almost the entire team napped at some point over the past two days.  These weekends can become very trying on our families and our husbands.  We are lucky to have such an amazing group of men that understand our commitment, and our need for sleep after these walks.

Sunday was another longer walk, 15 miles.  We were set to leave from my house at 6AM.  I had gone to bed early, around 9:00.  Unfortunately, something funky has been going on with my alarm clock and it never went off.  I awoke at 6:40 to see everyone's cars parked along my street.  I immediately called Patty and met up with the girls along the route.  I told them to call my house phone if it ever happened again.  They thought it was really funny and decided to take a picture of all of them waiting outside my house.  These are the women I walk with!

The second day of walking is always harder than the first.  It takes a good 2 miles before your body gets into that auto-pilot mode.  Everyone was feeling a little sore, but got over it relatively quickly.  Sunday's walk took us over the Chain Bridge, into Newburyport, along the river to Rolfe's Lane, and back along High Street.  It is one of my favorite walks.  I love the smell of the marsh early in the morning, and there is always lots of activity on High St.  A bonus is that there are no hills!  We made it back home and still had a good portion of the day to ourselves. 

In the early afternoon I decided to take a nap.  My girls had a sleep over the night before and were tired as well, so we all crashed.  After waking up I actually felt worse, and so did one of my girls.  It ended up that we both had fevers--not just little ones, but high ones!  Even though I felt awful, I was pleased to know that I could make it through those long walks when I wasn't 100%.  Today it is off to the doctor for both of us.  I have my fingers crossed.

So training isn't the only thing that has been going on for the 3-Day.  I have recently achieved my goal of $5000!  Yahoo!  The only thing that could be better would be if I could surpass the $5,600 I raised last year.  I am almost there with $5255.  There is still time to donate if you haven't already done so.  You can just click on the link to the right of this page.

Another exciting piece of news is that I made it through the preliminary round for a New Balance casting call where they will be doing a short documentary on someone's 3-Day experience.  Early last week I received an email from Komen explaining that a group of people were selected to participate if they chose to.  I went back and forth, but decided to tell my story.  I stayed up late Wednesday night, and ended up writing over 2 pages!  Once I got started I couldn't stop.  It was the first time that I had written everything down, and it was quite therapeutic.  The following day I received an email thanking me for sharing so openly and honestly.  The day after that, I received another email asking me to complete a phone interview on Tuesday morning.  The most exciting thing about this is that Patty received one too!  How awesome would it be if they profiled the Tough Warrior Princesses on our 3 day journey?  Way too cool!  I will be sure to keep all of you posted, and let you know how Tuesday goes.  Now that school is out, I should be able to write more. 

Another bit of information I would like to share is the address for the 3-Day Post Office.  While we are at camp, we can actually receive mail from our friends and family.  It is one of my favorite things about camp.  These messages do so much to motivate me and remind me of why I walk.  If you feel inclined to send a note, all you have to do is mail it to:
3-Day for the Cure
ATTN: Sherri Ziomek
P.O. Box 8557
Warwick, RI 02888
Envelopes only, please.  Mail must be postmarked no later than July 13th in order to ensure delivery at the Komen 3-Day for the Cure Camp Post Office.  I would love to hear from all of you.

Lastly, we have the information for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies this year.  We are starting at Farm Pond in Framingham again, and will be ending at UMASS Boston.  I am hoping that the route will be similar to last year.  The only thing I could do without would be that horrific hill on Day 2!  The information on the cheering stations should be coming out later this week or early next week.  I will keep you posted, but you can always check the3day.org and go to the Spectator Information page. 

26 days and counting...

Royally yours,
Sherri

Realizations and Celebrations

Okay, so now that I am writing this, I hope that my mom will finally get off my back. (xo Mom!) I have been planning to write a blog for literally a month, but I have just been completely overwhelmed with work. I have had a bazillion meetings and papers to grade. Fortunately the meetings have ended for the year, and I only have poetry portfolios left to comment on. MCAS is over, and final exams will be here before you know it. I love the late spring when the school year starts to wind down and the anticipation of summer is brimming in the air.

Where to begin? Here goes...

April and early May brought forth lots of emotions for me.

At the beginning of April, the Tough Warrior Princesses gained a new member--Maurine Turcotte. Maurine has walked the 3Day before, and is known by many around town. She is a true inspiration to me as she continues her daily life, head held high, living with cancer. I admire her exuberant personality as she refuses to let cancer beat her. She provokes in me the drive to continue to help others. SHE is the reason that I do this walk, and I am excited to have her by my side in the survivor circle.

During April vacation I found out that ANOTHER close friend of mine, Marcia, was diagnosed with breast cancer. How many does this make now? The numbers are getting too high to count. I was discussing this with my friends and we are just baffled by the amount of local women battling this disease. Yes, we are getting older, but doesn't it seem more prevalent now than in years past? The thing that is most disturbing about this case is that Marcia truly is a pillar in our community. She does so much for others, always has a kind word to say, and has more faith in God than anyone I know. Throughout all of this, Marcia continues to take care of her 3 amazing boys with the support of her loving husband. She is still at the ball field almost daily, and has not lost her perky smile. She even continues to make the scones for our Snack Shack! Why her? What reason is there to deem her part of this sisterhood? The realization that cancer does not discriminate comes to the forefront again.

On May 3rd, 2010 I celebrated my 4 year cancer-free anniversary. It is always such a bittersweet day for me. I relish in the fact that I am healthy and that my cancer has not returned; but, I cannot help remember that summer 4 years ago. Each year that I become further removed from treatment, my fear of cancer's return grows, until I reach that 5 year mark. Next year is a big anniversary for me! They say that if you make it to that point, you are in good shape. That is what I am looking forward to. During this time of reflection, I am reminded of the support of my family, friends, and loved ones. I think that I had over 30 comments on my Facebook page that day. Thinking back, I know that I couldn't have made it through that time without all of you.

Last month I was able to participate in The 3Day Expo. The Expo was held at Bentley College. It is a day when 3Day participants join together to find out what the event is all about. There are 3Day Outfitters where you can buy clothes, a post office where you can write letters to teammates, tent set-up, and workshops on packing and blister care. I was asked to be a member of "Ask an Expert." I don't know if I would consider myself an expert, but those who know me, know that I love to talk and especially about the 3Day (just ask my teammates--they have heard my stories more times than they care to, especially on our long walks). I shared my experiences with blisters, my thoughts on fund-raising, and my general love for these 3 days. I think I motivated other walkers, but I, myself, walked out of there inspired.

Shortly after that was our May 8th fund-raiser--a night that I don't think I will soon forget. As I have said before, when we began planning this event, it started out as an intimate evening between friends. Well, let me tell you...we must have a lot of friends because we had over 250 people at the Lafayette Club and raised $8000!!! I am humbled by the generosity and kindness of all of you.

The week leading up to the fund-raiser was hectic and crazy. The great thing about our team of 10 amazing women is that everyone pulls their weight. If someone says they are going to do something, then they follow through. We met Monday evening to discuss last minute details. I passed out the t-shirts and Theresa shared the signs she designed for the auction. When we realized that we had almost 50 auction items, we knew that we needed to do something so that we could make the most of our donations. Maurine had the brilliant idea to have 3 different auctions with 3 different ending times, that way if people did not win an item during the 9:00 raffle, then they knew they had more money to spend on the 10, and 11:00 raffles. Needless to say, it worked!

The Friday night before the event, we met at the Lafayette Club to decorate. In terms of decor, there isn't much there, so we wanted to make it as festive as possible. We brought in tons of white lights, and lots of pink--pink tablecloths, pink balloons, pink candles. Cheryl had a huge banner made with our logo on it that people were able to sign. I have to admit that my favorite decoration were the tough warrior princesses that I made. They are adorable. Hopefully they, coupled with our banner, will help us with our tent decorating.

The auction items were amazing. The biggest seller was the 3 Pats tickets. Other items that brought in big amounts were the Sunset Cruise, Sailing for 6, consultation with a lawyer, clambake in a bag, electrical work from George White, and Red Sox tickets. The most coveted item was the dogwood tree. There was almost a fight over it! Even after the auction was closed I had people offering me more money for it! Unbelievable!

The thing that impressed me the most about that night was the generosity of everyone. A friend at work found out about it, made a hand-painted tray to donate, and drove all the way from Framingham to attend! I was more than thrilled when my sister-in-law Emily called the week before and asked if she could donate some of the canvas bags that she makes, in shades of pink of course. I told her that we would be delighted to have them, and she said she would bring them when she came out that day. Well, on Thursday before the event, Emily told me that she would not be able to attend, but that she was going to drive up Friday afternoon with my 3 year old nephew, Nathaniel, and my almost 2 year old niece, Sophie to drop off the bags. Seriously? Four hours in a car with two little kids just to drop something off. She knew that I would not be able to spend time with her, but that didn't matter. She just wanted to help. Can you believe that? Help she did. Her bags brought in $135! Thank you so much, Emily!

The evening ended at midnight with those still in attendance helping to break everything down. By 12:45 we were all cleaned up, and you wouldn't known we had even been there. Amazing! What a night!

I know that I still need to get through this year's walk, but we have already begun planning next year's silent auction. The English teacher in me feels that if this is something we are going to do every year, we need to come up with a catchy name for it. Unfortunately, the creative juices are not flowing! If you have any great ideas, please let me know.

The money from that night brought us all closer to our goals. The princesses have now raised over $30,000 for Susan G. Komen. If we reach $33,000, then we will be considered a power team and will receive special recognition at the 3Day. The $33,000 means that on average, each team member will have raised $3,300. For me, I am still working to reach my personal goal of $5,000. I am almost there. If you haven't donated yet, there is still time. Just click the link on this page to donate.

Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

Royally yours,
Sherri