Back in July I started
raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk in Boston Common. The goal of
the walk was to raise money for cancer and pay tribute to those battling cancer
and commemorate those who have lost loved ones. I was lucky enough to be
walking with a good friend, Alyson, who survived her battle with cancer and has
been cancer free since December 2010.
Since July, I raised over
$125 for the cause and became a Champion for a Cure. Our team as a whole raised
over $2000 and we were awarded with a banner to carry during the walk. Each
person on our team raised over $100 and were given a t-shirt memorializing the
night, a bracelet allowing us access to a food tent and a balloon that varied
in color depending on your status of a survivor (white), a supporter (red), or
in memory of the loss of a loved one (gold).
When we arrived, the
entire Boston Common was filled with tents, people and light filled balloons.
We checked in and got our
bracelets. Then we headed over to get our t-shirts and balloons. We met up with
the rest of the team and got ready to start the race.
I brought my dogs with me
on the walk to give them some exercise and excitement for the night. And there
certainly was excitement. There were so many people there and Finn was in
heaven. Snickers just kind of went with the flow, but Finn was going in every
direction. He’s a handful, that’s for sure!
The walk was 2 loops
around Boston Common. Each loop was about 1.1 miles making the entire walk 2.2
miles. The first lap was very slow since there were so many people around. As
we made our way around the Common it started to thin out and we had more room
for the dogs and less pulling since there weren’t as many butts to sniff.
When we finished, we took
pictures at the finish line and hung out and talked for a while
When we got back to the
car, we decided to let our balloons go.
I felt very blessed to be
a part of this walk, not only as a friend, but also as a supporter of The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. At one point during the race, Alyson mentioned
that she was so happy to see so many red balloons. I was shocked, and thought
she said it the wrong way. I said, “I’d rather see more white balloons. That
means more survivors”. She said, “Oh, I know, but seeing so man red balloons
means none of these people have cancer. That’s the good part here”. This woman
amazes me every day and with simple comments like that, she shows how special
she is. I’m lucky enough to call her my friend.
In case you’re interested in supporting a great person and The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, we are still able to raise money until January
2012. My fundraising page is still up and you can still donate. Please, if you
can, support this cause.
