OUR AMAZING JOURNEY
Of all the words I could write about "The Weekend to End Breast Cancer", a 60 km walk through the city and residental streets of Toronto, Ontario, none say it better than the poem I wrote shortly after taking part in this incredible weekend.
BECAUSE WE CAN
My daughter and I rose to a dark early morning sky,
Adrenaline flowing fast and expectations were high.
For today starts the end of an amazing journey,
That started seven months ago by raising some money.
The weekend we had worked towards, loomed only hours away,
With the finish of thirty-two kilometers being our goal the first day.
We hugged each other, then grabbed our gear and headed for the lobby of the hotel,
Once there, we found our way through the growing swell.
For a moment I was taken back in time.
To a hospital room and that sweet grandmother of mine.
I thought to myself, this is for you and the tears did well,
As I thought back for a moment, to my Grandmother's living hell.
As we loaded our gear into the hold and entered the bus with flair,
You could feel the hum of excitement in the air.
When I rose that morning, I was feeling tired and stressed,
But now as I sat amidst the excitement I suddenly felt very blessed.
My energy level was rising and I was feeling pumped and strong,
With My beautiful daughter sitting next to me amidst the throng,
I finally allowed myself to take this all in,
Now realizing in one hour, the journey would begin.
But first we headed for the gear truck and breakfast for a champion,
Consisting of Bagels and cream cheese, hunks of Bananas, orange and melon.
Muffins, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and Shawna headed for a spot on the hill,
Following close behind, I find a cameraman is videotaping her still!
As each bus pulled up and everyone unloaded their gear,
There was feeling comradry, compassion, and pride: in the reason why we are there.
Each and every one of us had been touched in someway by this terrible disease,
This scourge of the earth; if you please!
A mother, sister, brother, father, uncle, aunt or friend,
OH YES! This is no longer a women's disease: This is the message WE send!
Contrary to what MOST MEN believe,
One percent of all cases are MEN you see!
I remember looking around at the faces, as I took my place up near the stage,
Thinking to myself, Breast Cancer has no preference to gender or age.
I noticed the growing amount of Pink Lanyards in the crowd.
Those Women and YES! MEN, ALL SURVIVORS: stood proud.
As Audrey Campbell spoke eloquently I once again, silently looked around,
At the many faces, tears were streaming down.
I felt my emotions inside me abound,
The crowd stood silent, never making a sound.
Then Audrey announced to the throng,
That we stood Four thousand, eight hundred and eighty-nine strong!
'Be Proud! For this year you have raised,
Sixteen million Dollars; for all your hard work, everyone should be praised!
Then we took each other�s hands and a prayer I believe was said,
And at that very moment I was proud have risen so early from my warm bed.
I was about to fulfill a promise I once had made,
To help do something about this disease, make a difference and NOT be afraid.
The time was here as we headed out into the beautiful day,
Nearly Five thousand strong would not sway.
WE the crowd, were now on a quest,
To walk Sixty kilometers for researching a cure for Cancer of the Breast,
