Save the Ta-Ta's

While this title may sound trite and possibly a little crude, it caught my attention at the Susan Komen "Race for the Cure" held here in the Puget Sound area on Saturday June 21st. My sister, Linda, her two daughters (5 and 2 yrs), and my mother all did the 5K walk along the Alaskan Way viaduct. The walk started at Qwest field (where the Seahawks play) and looped around the viaduct ending 3.10 miles later.

The viaduct was a sea of pink! Men, women, children, and even dogs walked to show their support for the cause. There was the "Save the Ta-Ta's!" t-shirt I saw on a young man walking next to an older woman (mother?), and another man wearing a pink shirt "Beaus for Boobs" next to another elderly woman with a similar shirt titled "Babes for Boobs". A young family with strollers and toddlers had a banner attached to their stroller announcing "Thanks for the Mammories!" It was great seeing the creativity and fun everyone was having while raising awareness for this killer disease.

My mother, Necia, is a breast cancer survivor. She was quite moved to see the hundreds of other survivors banded together singing out "I Will Survive!" in the middle of Qwest field. Living in tiny Chehalis, Washington means that she hasn't seen the huge supportive network nor the large numbers of other women (and some men) who have battled breast cancer and won.

All in all, it was an impactful day. My heart swelled with awe at the huge numbers of people all there to support the cause. It truly was inspiring. I decided that I will do my best to participate in this event every year.