GUTS to GLORY
Providing a Lifeline One Step at a Time

Heart and Soles Breast Cancer Foundation South Puget Sound 24-mile Walk for Life: August 20, 2005

Sole Support: (from left to right) Grace Curran, Betty Latham, Ginger Quant, Pam Burdick, Karen Miles. Photo by Angel Quant

By Pam Torres

People walk for different reasons. Those reasons change as life changes and so does the focus. However, one thing remains constant, no matter who you are, whether you’re walking or running — you can only take one step at a time. Heart and Soles Breast Cancer Foundation believes that each step means something. More important, a step in the life of one person could be the lifeline in the life of another. Its focus is to bring needed support and hope to survivors in South Puget Sound in spite of some staggering realities.

One of the most powerful ways to build lasting connections is through its 24-mile walk, set in the heart of the Tacoma community. “The choice for a 24-mile walk is significant. It’s one day, 24 hours,” says Diane Ehli the coordinator for the walk that will take place on August 20, 2005. Being there for the whole journey is what Heart and Soles is all about so it encourages building teams that train together.

In late January of 2004, a small group of Boeing employees, motivated by the diagnosis of their boss with breast cancer, set out to make a difference. They began by doing a couple miles on Saturdays and Sundays, two miles at first until they were up to 22 miles in a day. One of the team members, Deborah Nicholson had no idea she was preparing for the most difficult journey of her life.

“I found the lump during a self-exam and when the ultrasound showed it, I knew it was bad.” After training for eight months Nicholson was diagnosed only three weeks before the 24-mile in August of 2004. Nicholson is candid about her experience and feels that her openness has been good for her.

Nicholson says that the training process was therapeutic. As the training walks lengthened and pacing varied they paired off and began to “bare their souls to each other.” Nicholson acknowledges that her training prepared her for her cancer survivorship. During the eight months of training she lost 25 pounds, which was probably why she found the lump. On the day of the event, each team member wore a placard with Nicholson’s picture. The team raised the most money of all of the teams that participated that year.

The statistics are bleak. Breast cancer is at epidemic levels. One in seven women is diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Washington State, with over 4,000 cases this year alone, is the highest in the nation with its African American and Native American populations bearing the largest percentage. If that isn’t enough of an alarm, according to the income, property, and insurance coverage reports issued in August 2004, Washington State also has one of the highest numbers of underserved, uninsured populations in the nation, followed closely by Oregon. With a disease where detection is the difference between life and death, providing resources for this growing population is daunting.

“Trends in philanthropy are changing. People want to know where their charitable dollars are going,” said Ehli. “The Heart and Soles Foundation is that trend.” In the last two years they have raised $270,000; 80% of which is given to local benefactors that are making a difference in the prevention, care, and treatment of breast cancer.

Many of the large foundations are refocusing their funding into research. Nicholson is passionate about keeping the money here in South Puget Sound; so passionate in fact, that she has become a Heart and Soles board member. Finding benefactors hasn’t been difficult because some of the most effective nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations are located here.

Heart and Soles has donated $87,000 to the Breast Cancer Resource Center that provides most of the mammogram certificates for the underserved and uninsured women in the Puget Sound, about 30 a month. There are currently over 50 women on the waiting list for mammograms.

Harmony Hill is the Pacific Northwest’s only wellness and retreat center with a focus on providing assistance to those challenged by life-threatening or chronic disease. Besides offering services for all cancer survivors it has developed and piloted programs specifically targeted to underserved minority populations. There are no-cost, three-day retreat programs that provide support through group bonding, yoga, and massage. Each retreat is tailored to participants.

“I’m always moved by the willingness the participants have to share stories, the authenticity and magnitude of their being,” said Gretchen Schodde, founder and Executive Director of the center. She believes these connections and tools for survivorship are vital. There are currently 87 people signed up for retreats this year, and 85 on the waiting list. Heart and Soles has contributed $49,000 to support this program.

“The Foundation and its events are beautifully orchestrated using local communities. Our hope is that it continues,” Schodde said. “It’s a group that we’re proud to be aligned with, one that is inline with our mission of building community. We have had teams the last two years.”

This year the 24-mile walk will also include a 6k run/walk. Teams have already begun to form and training commenced. These are serious walkers/athletes. Each week they gather to discuss training strategy, proper gear, and preparation after which they depart on a rigorous route consisting of the hilly terrain of Tacoma. Many of these women are survivors themselves; all of them have a story to tell about someone important to them who has been affected by cancer.

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer isn’t a death sentence but a detour, a challenge that brings clarity and new vision to those who meet the challenge. Heart and Soles is determined to get that message out.

“These are our neighbors. People we see every day at work, at school… on the street,” Ehli said. Her voice catches and her eyes glaze when she speaks of the urgency of the mission of Heart and Soles Breast Cancer Foundation. Participation in this event will make a difference right here in South Puget Sound, one step at a time, building a community of support. For more information call 253-383-7650 or logon to www.heartandsoles.org.

Pam is an eclectic freelance writer/editor from Tacoma. Walking inspires her creative process. She can be reached at ptorres@speakeasy.net.