A few months ago, I made the decision to participate in the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. This is a 60 mile walk from Baltimore, MD to Washington, DC from May 3 to 5th. Most of us know someone, a family member or friend perhaps, who has been afflicted with breast cancer. This year over 180,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 40,000 will die. By participating in this walk, I have an opportunity to help raise money and awareness for this terrible disease.

While the facts and figures about breast cancer are more than sufficient to provide motivation for me to train for and complete this walk, another event has given this walk a more significant meaning to me. About a month ago, I discovered a lump in my own breast. It turns out that I was one of the fortunate ones; I had the lump removed successfully and it was benign. Of course, there was a period of a few weeks that I had no way of knowing what the results would be. While the success rate in treating breast cancer certainly was reason for some optimism, it is also clear that the road to successful treatment is long and filled with uncertainty. Although I am lucky enough to be cancer free, there are so many who are not.

In case you haven't guessed by now, this is a plea for your emotional and financial support. While training at least 4 days a week for the walk is my first priority, I also need to raise a minimum of $1,900 order to participate. The funds raised by each participant will go toward the support and continuation of breast cancer research through the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. I need to ask you for your support in this cause. A dollar for every mile that I'll be covering would be wonderful, but I am grateful for whatever contribution you would like to make.