A family of love
As any woman can tell you, nothing is more crucial for perky boobs than good support. Last weekend it seemed the whole city of Chicago turned out to provide that support – for breast cancer research.
Chicago shines for breast cancer research!
It was an absolutely beautiful day when I hit the city around 9 Sunday morning with my daughter Gwen; sunny, clear, blue skies that warmed to a high of 80 by afternoon. I thought Chicago had never looked lovelier as I drove along Lake Shore Drive in the clean morning air. I was soon to discover her beauty is more than skin deep.
The windy city raised more than $6.3 million during the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Each walker had to get at least $1800 in donations before he or she could cover the grueling 39.3-mile course, torture akin to being stretched on the rack. More than 2800 dedicated men and women rose to the challenge over the 2-day period.
Gwen and I came to cheer on a couple of very special walkers: my cousin Maureen and her daughter Meg.
Moe the Super Boober!
Moe is an 8-year breast cancer survivor. She has been through the wringer with cancer and a litany of related health problems that would have knocked a lesser woman to the ground. Yet Moe has come through the ordeal with a grace, spirit and humor few can match. She has been an educator, a mentor and a friend to many other women who have been forced to walk this thorny path, and I admire her tremendously.
Moe’s husband, Paul, and 3 teenage daughters are her biggest supporters. They were all on hand to cheer on the walkers, along with my aunt and uncle, my cousin Kathy and her hubby Gary – even their dog Archie doled out spirits-lifting cuteness!
Nobody knew Gwen and I were coming. We decided to surprise them by showing up at the “cheer station” in Lincoln Park. I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find them in the crowds, but thank goodness I had a good idea what they would be wearing – pink. The hard part was finding a parking spot. ($21 for 3 hours? Really? Shame on you, Chicago!)
I didn’t know what to expect. I thought we were going to sit around in lawn chairs drinking a few cold ones until Moe, Meg and their friends trotted by, then cheer them on. Au contraire. There was work to be done.
As each wave of walkers crossed the street and passed by, the family cheered. They hooted and clapped, hollering “Thank you for walking” and “you can do it!” The exhausted, pasty faces brightened right up at the cheering support.
My Aunt Carol and Uncle John are firmly in the “think young, keep active” crowd, but they’re not spring chickens anymore. That didn’t stop them from giving 110%. They brought 10 pounds of hard candy and mints and stood at the side of the sidewalk, offering their baskets to the drooping walkers. Uncle John added a high five and a cheesy joke – no extra charge. Seeing them standing for hours in the hot sun to raise the sagging spirits of the walkers was incredibly inspiring.
Moe’s husband Paul wore his signature pink hair and waved a sign proudly announcing his wife was an 8-year survivor.
Most people walked in groups, many sporting custom-made t-shirts. Some carried signs or wore angel wings. You couldn’t help but be touched by the poignancy of messages that told whom the person was walking for. Signs like, “In memory of my mom”.
Many women sported bandanas or peach-fuzzy heads that attested they were walking for their very lives. There were lots of tears, but lots of laughs as well, from titters to guffaws.
It seemed more than coincidence that the fruits of such labors of love were being harvested just blocks away from the Avon Walk. The American Society of Clinical Oncology met in Chicago the same weekend to keep abreast of the latest news. Scientists there presented the results of a promising new study that has shown some success with a new drug treatment for breast cancer.
Me & Gwen
Are you inspired to get your knockers up?
Just go the Avon Walk website and find out how you can get involved. They have walks scheduled in a number of major cities, so there may be one near you. Or you can let your fingers do the walking – to click on the donation button. Do it for someone you admire. If you don’t know anybody with breast cancer, feel free to be inspired by my cousin, Moe.
Donating to this worthy cause is sure to give your spirits, as well as some very special boobs, a welcome lift.
Chicago, I’ll see you next year. Ta ta!
Peg-o-Leg's Ramblings 
Wonderful..Fantastic… Our daughters,….. well three of them are doing the Race for Life. Neville and I just donate the money. My Mother died of Cancer in 1969 and Neville’s Vera died of breast cancer in 1995. If only people would realise that cancer CAN and WILL be beaten but if they stopped smoking it would be the biggest step to getting rid of it.
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Good for you and your daughters! You’re so right about smoking, but there are so many kinds of cancer that just seem to strike randomly, it’s scary.
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*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*!
Thanks for sharing, caring, and supporting, PegO! Praises to your family, friends, and every participant/supporter!
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I was so impressed by all the people who gave so much to make this event happen – claps all around to them!
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Sounds like a fabulous day and a fabulous family!
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It WAS a fabulous day, and they ARE a fabulous family. I was tickled pink (tee hee) to join in a bit.
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Yea! Thanks for doing this! My mother and grandmother were both breast cancer survivors – it takes a special kind of courage.
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That kind of family history is scary – I hope you are ok, Ms. Sweetie.
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It’s amazing what something like that does for you even when you don’t participate. I applaud you and Gwen for supporting (ahem) Maureen and Meg, and everyone else you didn’t even realize you were supporting until you got there! Women so often fight each other; it’s gratifying to see us unite for something!
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You hit it on the head – we didn’t even realize what we were supporting until we got there and were moved by all the others. It’s good to remind ourselves: people really can be awfully nice to one another.
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Good for you and Gwen — congrats to Moe on her recovery and for her work in helping others. She rocks!
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Thanks Elyse, she really DOES rock. I just talked to her and she said she’s been walking for 8 years. If and when she gets to a point where she can’t walk anymore, she’ll help out behind the scenes. I suggested at that point we should do the Anti=Cancer Crawl – perhaps Smirnoff’s would sponsor?
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For that kind of publicity, I’m sure you can get any number of companies to line up!
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There will need to be many glasses of vodka lifted for that fundraiser. I’m willing to do my share – how ’bout you?
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I’m not much of a vodka girl — now I will raise several glasses of wine, though.
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I’d prefer wine also. Maybe we should contact wineries to sponsor us? If we told them we just plan to sit around and raise our glasses in toasts to everyone with cancer, do you think they’ll pay us?
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It never hurts to ask. Or threaten.
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What a wonderful and meaningful way to spend a beautiful weekend morning/day. My sisters best friend, a family friend familiar to us all for 30 years, and mother of 3 little boys, died of breast cancer after a 2 1/2 year fight. It was awful – Terms of Endearment awful. The night before she died she managed to get out of bed, and sat down privately with each son and told them what she felt they would need to carry with them for the rest of their lives from her… imagine what that must be like, trying to give final directions and that last doling out of love for those souls who depend the most on you, their Mother, for lifes guidance. I can’t bare to even imagine that beyond a brief scene before I tear up. This cruel disease is affecting 1 in 8 women, I’ve read. And it’s aftermath continues to affect whole families ever after.
Beautiful and well written post, Peg.
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Oh Spectra, that is just so heart-wrenching, I’m tearing up in sympathy. My brother died of cancer at 35, leaving behind 4 little kids. The youngest was 1. Cancer stinks.
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Hands up – no ‘high-five’ required…
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Good for you guys and all the walkers! Very inspiring post, Peg. What a great way to spend a beautiful day.
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It was a great way to spend the day, and all I had to do was stand around and clap and cheer for inspiring people who were doing all the work. Then we went for lunch and shopping, so it was all good!
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This sounds like such a wonderful event! I’m so glad there was that much love and support, and a beautiful day, too! (Although that parking fee really is outrageous!) Moe is definitely an inspiration, and your “keep abreast of the latest” pun really made me giggle (as did “ta ta!”). I went to a breast cancer fundraiser that some friends threw a few years ago, and they gave out pirate-themed t-shirts that said, “Arg! You can have me booty, but leave me chest alone!” and there was a picture of a treasure chest.
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That’s a good one! There is a whole world of breast-related humor out there, but I decided to go for a more laid back tone on this relatively serious post. 😉
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Hey Peg, I didn’t know you and Gwen went to the walk. Good for you! Loved the pictures, too. My, Moe and Paul’s girls are so statuesque. Everyone looks great! Thanks for covering this because as we all know, cancer, in all its forms, is rough on everyone involved. Kudos! 🙂
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PS – I voted for you in the Caption Contest. You’re leading right now but more votes will help. too bad you’re up against a bloggy friend 🙂
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I have a plan, Miss Guitar. An evil plan…
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“THE” Caption Contest – – i assume means Good Greatsby’s? I, too, voted for Peg- but not politically or via a blog-postal plea.Hers was just the best caption.Period. I voted as such. YOU shall WIN I suspect.
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It was a last minute thing. We were right in your old neighborhood and the park looked lovely (except the damn parking). Yes, their girls are all beautiful as well as being sweet. It was great to see everybody and get caught up, and Moe called me today to chat. I posted these photos on Facebook, but I don’t think she saw the blog. Tricky to contact someone and say – Hey, come read all about yourself!
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Nice post about an important event. The humor you bring does not detract from the cause, it only humanizes it further.
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Thanks. Cancer is serious business, but so many people’s attitudes at this thing were definitely goofy – especially some of the outfits. Sometimes I think we have to choose to laugh or we’ll end up crying at life.
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I’m shocked by how much work goes into raising money and training for these walks. My mom has done the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk the past few years. I’ve been thinking of doing it with her. Thanks for the added inspiration!
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Good for your mom and good for you! What a great thing to do together.
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Very nice post, Ms. P-o-L. And the audio clip was nice.
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Isn’t that great? My mom used to sing that occasionally and I thought it was a burlesque song from the 1800s. Can’t believe I tracked it down – it’s a hoot!
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A warm and positive post full of love and support. Bravo to you and your family. We can all do something – be it walk, work behind the scenes or cheer on those who are walking.
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It was a heart-warming event. There are so many good charities to help/contribute to, that it’s overwhelming sometimes.
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Nice job! I love hearing cheerleaders when I’m walking…er, running.
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Does that happen often? Maybe you should stop running onto the field during football games.
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That’s AWESOME! Hopefully with dedication like some incredible advancements will be made and all those great folks will never have to run/walk again (er, you know… I mean… wait… what did I mean here)?!
🙂
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I DO know what you mean. Wouldn’t it be great if nobody ever had to fight cancer again?
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I loathe this disease and the disruption and fear it curdles in the families it strikes. Kudos to every racer and supporter.
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It is a universal experience, isn’t it? Nobody seems to be able to avoid it somewhere in the family.
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Very impressive, Peg! Moe is a rock star — and way to get out and support everyone. $6.3 million — that is INSANE.
How cute are you and your daughter!
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Thanks, Angie, she is a rock star, and funny as all get out.
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Beautiful post, Peg. My mother in law is a breast cancer survivor as well, so events like these always make me think of her. Your post has reminded me to call her tonight– thanks! 🙂
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Great idea – call a survivor night! I’m going to call my sister.
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Very moving post, Peg. I went to a Relay for Life cancer walk and found it very emotional. You can’t help but share pain, love,and laughter. Kudos for Moe and her family for all they do for Breast Cancer research. Peg, thanks for highlighting this!
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Kudos to you, sweetie. I can’t believe I didn’t mention that my very own, sweet sister MK was a breast cancer survivor as well. I guess I just block out those bad memories. Love you and praying for all good things.
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Peg, what a wonderful thing you did! I am sure you and your daughter were a source of much inspiration for all those walkers. You know, I read so much about the walkers themselves, that it was really eye-opening to look at things from the other side — the cheering crowd. And you are right, what a difference a kind word or good cheer can make. This line will stay with me for a long time, “Seeing them standing for hours in the hot sun to raise the sagging spirits of the walkers was incredibly inspiring.” Your aunt and uncle sound amazing — just like you and the rest of your family.
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Great post sis…….about a great cuz……ATTITUDE is the best weapon against cancer…..and MOE definitely has the right one
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She does, doesn’t she? Thanks Jimbo!
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This is so touching! Your energy and love is so inspirational! Thank you for this post, it was really beautiful.
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Aw, thank you so much for the kind comment! All the volunteers were the big heros for the day.
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