What's it Like to Walk for Two Days?
photos by chrissa marcos Here are all the details from baystateparent's contributing writer, Leslie Castillo, about how you can get a full heart (and tired legs) by signing up for the May 2009 7th Annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
The 2008 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer greeted me much like it had in 2007: the opening ceremony included an inspirational video, animated speakers, a wide array of breakfast foods, and, a side order of dousing rain. Still, I could barely contain my enthusiasm.
I grabbed a banana and coffee and scanned the crowd for Christy. When I finally spotted her navy-blue rain gear, I ran to meet her, thrilled to once again see my friend from New York. In less than thirty minutes we would set out on another adventure, catching up on each other's lives and motivating one another over the next two days and forty miles.
At 7:30 a.m., a winding caterpillar of pink hats, tee-shirts, and rain gear from some 2,900 participants made its way from the campus of UMASS Boston on a journey which would pass by Carson Beach and meander through the streets of the North End. It would include sights such as M.I.T and the Museum of Science before reaching its final first 26.2 mile destination at Prowse Farm in Canton.
Along our route, we walked as one, sharing stories and songs, band-aids, tears and smiles. Supporters honked and cheered us on from bra-clad vans. Some kept us laughing as they manned the rest stops in creative costumes. Survivors clapped and thanked us, and the residents whose homes lined the routes generously supplied us with their never-ending drinks and goodies.
Walkers must raise a minimum of $1,800 in order to participate in this weekend event. This year's Boston participants raised over 6.9 million dollars. As a result, grants were awarded to different hospitals and organizations throughout the city.
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer will always be my walk of choice. If ever hope were tangible, nowhere has it seemed more visible than in the faces of the participants in the weekend's parade of pink.
Leslie Catillo is a Wayland-based freelance writer and mother of two boys. She regularly contributes to baystateparent.
The Pink Angels of Hope are a close-knit quartet, clad in customized wings and embroidered hats with halos, thanks to a creative streak by team captain Sherie Bourgeois. The North Shore group of women met on an Avon website bulletin board and consist of Bourgeois, Bev Gaudet, Paula Kelly and Julie Hagel. Ready, Set, Hope: Now is the time to register for the May 16 - 17, 2009 walk for 2 days and 39 miles. To RSVP for an introduction meeting or to get more information, please go to www. avonwalk.org or call 617-576-3113. Find out who Leslie Castillo met on her May 2008 walk. Her stories and photos about this life changing weekend are posted on our BLOG at baystateparent.com.
