Holy Smokes June is here already and that means

that my 60km Weekend to End Breast Cancer is this coming weekend....yowsers...ok I am ready, I have been doing my training walks faithfully, at least 6km a day and every other day or so a 12km walk. My right knee is still giving me grief but I will walk through that.

I have a little over $2300.00 raised and I was hoping for at least $3,000.00 but do not think I will make it to that goal this year. A lot of my last year donators, did not re-donate this year which is ok, everyone has that choice. In our small town there were 4 of us trying to fundraise from the same 1500 people who live in Russell along with the MS Walk, The Relay for Life walk and the Swimming Pool fundraiser. I worked very hard this year for my donations both in Russell and in Swan River. I held a breast cancer item craft table at Extra Foods in Swan River as well as a garage sale at my nieces. My Mom also did a Spa Days in Swan River which about 400 women attended. We did very well at all these events raising almost $1,000.00. In Russell I held a Family Fun Carnival (which was poorly attended b/c the Relay for Life was the night before and many of the parents walked all night) but we still made about $400.00 with a hot daod lunch, raffles, breast cancer items,etc. I also held a hot dog sale at the Russell IGA and had my breast cancer item table at the Banner Bakery, Saan store and the Russell Inn. All these things were alot of work but also alot of fun too.

I also took part in the MS Walk and Relay for Life so I did fundraising for them too.

I guess I believe so much in the cause that I feel it is my duty to do what I can to help out. My family has not personally been touched by breast cancer but I have friends that are survivors and a couple just going through treatments. I am a colon cancer survivor and I lost my older sister, Janice to small cell lung cancer which rapidly spread throughout her body and she passed away just 14 months of being diagnosed.

We all hate the word CANCER and as much as we all bitch and complain about it, we need to get up off our behinds and do something about it. We will BEAT this disease, it is just going to take some time.

This year I celebrate 40 years living with a pacemaker. I can remember a time when the doctors told my mother that there was nothing they could do for me, to pray for a miracle. Well we did and here I am 40 years later still going strong so don't give up too easily on these diseases because they too can be beat. We just have to believe that they can be beaten.