The team is together!!!

Walking for Udders… Here we go!!

4 months to go, and love to Boston…

I’m still shaking from what happened in Boston on Monday afternoon.

Aside from the obvious horror (who, why?), it hit me two ways:

First, look at those people with missing limbs. An image of a man in a wheelchair, being rolled to an ambulance, with a leg gone from the mid-thigh down and the other raw and bloody, haunted me. In a matter of seconds, his world would be irrevocably changed forever. My heart aches with the finality of the three people who have died thus far, but the hundreds hurt and dozens seriously maimed is just horrifying – they have so much to deal with in the coming months and years. One of the weird blessings of having had an illness for so long is that it’s old hat to me, and I’m at the point where I’m grateful for what I have, what I can do and the beautiful lessons having a chronic illness has taught me. But dealing with something for the first time is horrifying, and I wouldn’t wish those initial realizations on anyone.

The second thought was – those were good people that were harmed. Yes, there is horror and tragedy when innocent children are slain or thousands die in two falling towers that cannot be explained or underrated. But the fact that the majority of the thousands of people running in that marathon were doing so for charities made this extra hard to take. Our brother had several Team in Training members participating (all of whom are safe, thankfully), raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Maggie knew some message therapists who worked on runners who had crossed the finish line and are now, understandably, very shaken. Jess was on a plane with one of the marathoners that very evening. The generosity of so many hits home.

The mother of Brenna Zettegren, the little girl who died of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia last December whom his team is honoring this year, wrote these words, that hit home yesterday when I found them:

“Running is a symbol of strength, determination, and stamina.”

Training for our Michigan walk with determination!

We may not be running our marathon, but we’re committed. To reaching our fundraising minimums. To training so that we can cover the 60 miles as best we can. To being vocal about how important screening and early detection are. To being a community.

Please donate to Dan’s triathlon for Team in Training, and help us raise the $6,900 we need to get to our starting line in August by clicking on our banners on the right.

With love and gratitude,

- Jacqueline and the Udders

Cookies for a Cure!

Hello friends!

Along with my walking explorations, I have a baking blog that I adore, The Dusty Baker.  I want to continue to combine my love of baking and charitable work, so…

For every $10 donated to my team between now and the middle of September, I’ll donate a cookie to a local Breast Cancer organization in thanks for all their hard work in finding a cure!

If we get our necessary $4,600, that’s 460 cookies!  And even more than that…

Whoever makes the largest donation will get 24 of these cookies delivered to their home and will help me choose the charity or organization(s) to receive these cookies!

I haven’t made them yet, but they’ll be flavorful shortbread cutout cookies in the shape of pink ribbons, with beautiful piping, along the lines of these cookies I’ve made for other events.

Friendly Cut-Outs

Cookies for Smith Street Stage’s Macbeth

For Jesus Christ Superstar Benefit

Please tell your friends, pass this along, and help us raise money for the cure!

Donate by CLICKING HERE!

Check out THE DUSTY BAKER!

Thank you!!!

Team Walking for Udders, Boston 2005

One Month to Go!

At Opening Ceremonies in Dallas, 2007

Wow, time flies.  In one month, Mom and I will have walked two days of the three, with around 4o miles under our belts.  And Jessica and Maggie will be exhausted from crewing, setting up our tents and giving us massages (hint hint!). 

Well, I won’t have walked every mile.

After last year’s Phoenix event I had a realization: my body has changed since I battled another round of Lyme-related illness that I recovered from before dad and I set off on our 3-day in 2010.  I still love walking, and am so thankful for this ability after not having been able to walk briefly as a child because of the Lyme.  But my body just doesn’t  want me to do as much, and damage comes in far fewer miles than it used to.  And a fall I took on the city streets in January on my worse knee still hasn’t quite healed. I just got insurance and hopefully will see a doc before the walk, but… yeah.

Excuses?  Well, let’s just say only completing 52 miles last year didn’t feel great, especially considering I had never seen the inside of a sweep van before.  Even the year I did three walks within one month.  And dad told me, in his opinion, I shouldn’t keep doing the events at all.  A few others who know my body agreed.

So I thought long and hard about the commitment I made in 2004, when I said I wanted to walk every event the Komen organization offers.  At that time, I meant every mile, and was hoping to do them all before I turned thirty.  Two weeks from now that will officially be a date not met

So I made a new pact to myself; I am still going to walk every event, because the funds are needed to beat this disease.  I just won’t kill my body by walking every step.  I’ll be humble, and take longer than I needed those healthier years before.  I’ll give myself a mile-cap every day, and keep to it even if I want to walk further with all my heart.  I’ll enjoy the experience rather than struggle through the miles I can make.  I’ll participate, which is the most important thing.  To be out there.  To raise the money.  To keep believing that I can contribute in a teeny tiny way just by showing up.

I want to share the words my sisters sent me after what I considered a failure in the Phoenix walk.  It feels intimate to share, but is an incredible example of the love of my sisters and the strength of our team:

From Jessica: One more example of how you bite your thumb at your body.  All the warning signs leaned toward not doing this, and you did it anyway.  You rock!

From Maggie: Be proud of each and every step.  You’ve overcome so much this year.  I know you’re disappointed, but don’t be.  This is your 8th! And you crossed the finish. I’m so proud of you.

I couldn’t continue to do this event without my family, my team.  They’ve taken this passion of mine on as their own, as ours, and because of that we’ve raised over $50,000 for the Komen organization since 2004.  They rock.

My first year I walked in New York City with a woman from a nearby town who was going through chemo.  She couldn’t walk every mile, but had a smile on her face every time I saw her.  The following year we walked in Boston with her husband and friends, who were walking in her memory.

This is why we walk.

CLICK HERE to donate to our team.

Mom and I have a $2,300 minimum to walk!

In peace, love and health,

Jacqueline

Those I walked for, Philly, Tampa and San Diego, 2006

Rainy and cold but SO happy, Philadelphia 2006

Sore and exhausted in Phoenix, 2010

A rainbow above the rememberance tent at camp, San Diego 2006

 

Supporters in Queens, NY. My first event, and before I had moved to that favorited borough. 2004.

A rainbow above the rememberance tent at camp, San Diego 2006

Phoenix Video Part Two!

Day Two and Three were a bit rougher for the Udders, though we tried to keep the hardest moments off of the video blog!  Day Three is a bit non-existent as we walked separately for most of the day and Jax spent some time on a bus.  Nevertheless, the video blog is an awesome treat to have so that we can remember this wonderful weekend that much more vividly, and share it with those who got us to the starting line.

And, hopefully, it may even inspire you to walk with us???

Phoenix Video Part One!

This year we’re excited to introduce our new VIDEO BLOG to our 3-Day Memory Reel! Enjoy Part One!

On to Denver in 2011!

Before the blisters from this year’s 60 miles have even healed, we’re registered for the 2011 event in Denver!

CLICK HERE to join our team as a walker or crew member.  As you probably can guess from our 9 events, we’re passionate about this cause and giving to this organization.  And the rush of fulfillment you get from participating inspires you to keep it up, year after year.

Contact us with ANY questions!

Phoenix – Success!

Dear friends,

We did it!  Dad and I completed the 2010 Phoenix Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, and BOY what an experience it was.  Challenging, beautiful, heart-stopping, foot-blistering, muscle-binding greatness.   Dad did ALL SIXTY MILES!!  With thanks to my siblings for the camera they gifted me with for my birthday, I was able to video the event from opening to closing ceremonies and all the 140,000 steps in between!  And over 100 pictures and a 3-day recap await you on the PHOENIX page of this site, above.

Onward to Denver in 2011!

In love, peace and good health,

Jacqueline and Dan – Walking for Udders 2010

Just keep walking, just keep walking, just keep walking..

Dad and I are walking our feet away, preparing for the 2010 PHOENIX ARIZONA walk in November.  Right now dad is about $1,200 away from his minimum and I have about $500 to go (thanks to my supporters who donated in 2008 and 2009, when I was physically not well enough to walk – these donations have carried over into this year!).

Please CLICK HERE to go to our team page and support our walk!

Training photos, thoughts and updates to come!

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