Wednesday, April 27, 2011

No time for rest!

I continue looking for and finding new ways of helping to find a cure each year. This year I ran my first Half Marathon for the Cure (13.1 miles in 2 hrs. 40 min.) and will once again walk 6 days and 120 miles.

Tracy and I, Team J&S4EVER, will be walking Boston, July 22-24, just a short 13 weeks from now (Yikes!). I will then walk Dallas with my team, Pink Soles in Motion. Last year we were the #1 fundraising team in DFW, an accomplishment that we don’t take lightly. Every year we aim to raise more than we did the previous year. This means lots and lots of fundraising events. Already this year I have worked concessions at a cheerleading competition as well as the NFL Super Bowl experience, had a garage sale, am selling Raffle Tickets for a smoker, holding an on-line Pampered Chef Fundraiser (30% of orders go to my 3-day), and helping my team plan our BBQ Cook-Off (May 14), Golf Scramble (June 3) and 5K run (TBD).

I have also volunteered to be a 3-Day training walk leader. As you can probably imagine you can’t just go outside and decide to walk 60 miles and succeed. It takes weeks and weeks of training (24 actually) and when you get up past 8 miles it can get pretty lonely if you are by yourself. Not to mention the difficulty of planning a route that goes 18 miles on sidewalks with rest stops. It’s much easier when someone has it already planned out and all you have to do is show up and walk. I’m going to be that someone this year.

All of these things keep me very busy but I never lose sight of why I do it. I don’t do it for recognition, I don’t do it because I have to always be doing something, I don’t do it because I need exercise. I do it because I can.


You see, I understand not all of us have the time to spare, the athletic ability to walk, or the funds to donate. But each of us together can play a part in finding a cure whether it’s walking the miles, spreading awareness, encouraging someone to have a cancer screening, supporting a fundraiser, or a direct donation. Whatever you choose to do, I encourage you to just do something. I know that alone I can’t find a cure but I do know that what I do makes a difference and will one day lead us to a cure for all cancers and with your help we will be one step closer.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement and allowing me to share my journey with you. To see my story and donate please visit http://www.forallyoudid.com/.


Catrina Gibson

For all you did, for the life you lived!

J&S4EVER