Reflection

I still am not sure if I have digested everything we experienced this weekend, but here is my attempt to capture the spirit. I knew it would be really emotional but I think I was under prepared for how much my heart would ache for the people we have lost. Especially with so many people yearning for a loved one's smile or laugh just one more time. It was definitely moving when the banners came in bearing simple titles like, Mother,Aunt, Sister, Friend. I think this was a lot harder for Amy and I as well because we couldn't participate with Jessica as we had planned, because she was injured and is preparing for another surgery. The fact that she's still dealing with ripples from this became more evident this weekend. I will say that the last thing she probably needed was sore feet and blisters!! :) I would have loved for her to meet some of the amazing survivors whose spirit filled the National Mall and carried us all when our feet hurt to the next mile marker. It was truly a life changing moment when thousands of people took off a shoe and held it in the air as these remarkable women filled the center of the ceremony. I think we all felt like a shoe was the least we could raise to them, but it was significant in it's own humble way! The reality was that yes 40 women stood in front of us as conquerors but so many were on our minds who gave cancer everything they had and it still wasn't enough. This weekend was a test for many and a tutorial for others. Some learned that walking 60 miles was achievable and might have only called it a slight challenge. Others felt the pain in their feet and knew it would be a long three days. I personally was surprised at how much your emotions played a part in the physicality of it all. On Day 2 I was really struggling, my feet were killing me, my back hurt from sleeping on the ground and I was getting really annoyed that this walk was all UPhill.. and someone asked me who the beautiful woman on my shirt was. Instantly it was like someone smacked me in the back of the head and I remembered why I was doing this. Because women die EVERY day from breast cancer. In fact I knew two amazing women who had to leave their husbands, children, sisters, brothers and many countless other relatives behind all because of breast cancer. Blisters heal, pain goes away, and eventually the 60 miles would end, but they are still gone. All I can do now is fight for the women who are here NOW. Thank you all for supporting us and helping us join in the fight against breast cancer. The Washington DC 3-day for the Cure raised 5.1 million dollars for breast cancer research and preventative care. THANK YOU!!!!

Only 8 days away!!

I can't believe that the calender says only 8 days away from our walk! And we're so excited because our goal of $7,000 has been met! Thanks to every single generous person that has provided financial as well as mental support along the way. We can't even express how much it means to us! Keep the happy thoughts coming as we head to DC.

When I imagine the early morning of October 8th, I picture us rising with butterflies in our stomachs as we join hundreds, maybe even thousands of men and women ready to walk towards a cure. We begin the journey as strangers but join together in a solidarity to abolish a disease from existence. I picture us as young and old, men and women, strong and weak and we are united to take a stand. There is such sadness felt in the crowd but also so many victories. We will take to the streets of DC to show in a pink-clad army that we will find a way to prevent this pain in the future....to live in a place where the disease is simply a legend whispered about by the old but never experienced by the young. 


In preparation for this emotional event, I plan of packing my tissues of course and I've also been giving my feet pep talks to ensure that they will carry me to the finish line. Heck, I may even sprint the 60 miles! 

So Washington DC 2010 3 Day for the Cure, I accept your challenge and I will bring it. 

Stay tuned for loads of pictures and stories about our adventure!


Amy

Preparing for 60 miles

Susan G. Komen really tries to prepare you for the physical journey, they give you training schedules and attire guides. They suggest blister relief and describe shin splints, but what do we do to mentally prepare for this journey? I've been thinking about why I am doing this. And after some soul searching, I'm doing this to spend three incredible days with my two best friends. I'm doing this in Washington DC, because what better place to walk in search of something? How many great men and women have walked the streets hoping for greatness? A cure is huge. A cure is great. A cure is possible? Let's Hope. The pictures are from last year, I can't wait to take a million pictures from our walk! Donate today, we are still a little short. I know everyone has given so much, we promise we will make you all proud!

So close!!

As we wrap up our fundraising for Team IheartJess we are still finding ourselves about $800 short! I am blown away by all of the support everyone has shown us and we are all deeply touched. It's an amazing feeling to see the donations come in and know that we are making a difference for so many women and their families who will be effected by this disease. We are asking for your help one more time, please send our link to everyone you know, and to post it in your status, for one hour. We know we can achieve this goal especially with the help of our amazing support system, ALL OF YOU!! Thank you so much!! Team IheartJESS - Amy, Jessica & Alli Donate today!

An Affair to Remember!

On Saturday we came together and turned St. Cecilia pink for a night! The hall looked great thanks to Adam's design, and our guests left well fed courtesy of Visions Catering and Kathleen Smith. Swing's the Thing had our guests up and dancing with their amazing swing band! Over all the evening was a success! We laughed, we cried, and we were able to raise more money for an amazing cause. To date we have raised about $6,000 and are so close to our goal!! We hope that you all had a wonderful time, remember this journey isn't complete yet! THINK PINK!!!

My Turn For A Nightmare....

So Alli already shared her nightmare....I had one last night. No members of the ER cast showed up and there was no fountain that needed moved, but it was equally as scary! I dreamt that people showed up at 5 instead of 7 and we fed them in 20 minutes before the band or decorator could get there. People couldn't stop telling me how lame the event was and how there should be music or something. I was like well why did you show up so dang early then? So please, buy your ticket, come at 7 and eat and be merry! It's for a good cause and it's gonna be a blast! Seriously, I'm so excited for the night. And it puts us that much closer to the actual event. I live in Mansfield at the moment so I get Cleveland stations and every day the news has included coverage of the 3 day up there. I'm so pumped! See you soon! Amy

So it begins...

Well everyone knows that I am a worrier.. okay that's an understatement. I can admit it. Jess jokingly said the other day I worry enough for both of us! I'm glad I can take something off her plate, but I come by it honestly, a long line of worriers. We are getting into the last stages of our fund-raising and it's a waiting game. Waiting to see if people buy tickets, waiting to see what else we can do to raise this money, and waiting to see if all of our hard work comes together and everything falls into place! For anyone in a stressful situation eventually it starts manifesting other ways, for me it starts taking over my sleep! My stress dreams have begun, two nights ago in my dream we had to change locations last minute, my sister Sara was insisting that I move a water fountain ( WTF?) and Dr. Carrie Weaver( from ER) came to our Pink Tie Affair, 4 HOURS EARLY! It's funny the water fountain thing seemed so logical but as soon as I saw Dr. Weaver I knew "Oh thank God I'm dreaming". This will continue to happen for the next week until this Pink Tie Affair is over and I can relax, so help reduce my stress level. Tell us you are coming, buy your ticket before hand and please don't ask me to move water fountains!!!! Love you all, THINK PINK!

Check this out!!

Our very talented friend Stephanie Murray, has created a beautiful "Hope" Pillow, and generously will donate $10 from each pillow sold! Please support her and us!! Team IheartJess needs your support!!

A Pink Tie Affair- buy your tickets today!

We are not selling any tickets at the door, so please purchase your tickets online today! We will have a will call table where you can get your tickets the night of the event!Thank you and see you all there!!

Ticket options

Single ticket $25.00 Couple $40.00 Table of 8 $160.00 Sponsor in memory of $50.00

Set, Dig, Spike!! It was amazing!!

On Saturday, we had a great turn out! Raised over $900, and we had an awesome day! We can't thank our Sponsors, Paul and Stacy Sohner from SPeedyskis enough for all of their support! We also want to thank Teri Riggs Goldammer for all of her support and expertise, we called on her to do a lot to make this a success! THANKS to ALL the teams!!! We HEART YOU!!!!!!!!!

Register today!!

Payment options

Team ( 6 players) $150.00 Individual registration $25.00

Register for volleyball!

Payment options

Team ( 6 players) $150.00 Individual registration $25.00

Today you can pay online and then email the form to me or Amy! Thanks everyone!! - Alli

Getting closer!!

Goal: $7,000.00 Achieved: $2,015.00

We've passed the $2,000 mark!!! This is so awesome!!

Last day!

Today is a good day. Today is a great day! Jessica is finished with infusion! After over a year of poisoning her body every 3 weeks, she can now stop thinking in 3 week incraments and move on to thinking about healthier times! Every day I say this prayer. " God, give her strength, give her courage, and most of all God, please let her beat this" I ask you all to pray to whoever you pray to, and say that prayer today in honor of my beautiful, brave, best friend. I love you Jess!! I"m so proud of you!!

Good times!

Tonight I stood on a stage and asked people to give money if they had breasts or just liked them.. Yeah I said it! But it's just a really easy example of how this disease effects EVERYONE. We felt so blessed tonight when we were able to raise $338 from mostly strangers. But after hearing our story, really Jessica's story they felt compelled to give $1, 5, some even $20! The whole night we were selling 50/50 raffle tickets and telling people good luck, hope you win! So imagine our delight when the bar started cheering give it back to the winner, who donated their half!! It was really cool and showed that people are good. Sometimes we have our differences, sometimes we can only see the bad, but if you give people a chance, they can prove you wrong!! Thanks to The Dolphin Lounge and Mike Holmberg for putting this together!! It was awesome!!!

A reflective weekend

This weekend in Columbus is always powerful. The annual Race for The Cure. Thousands of people unite and turn down town into a sea of pink. I have participated in the race for 7 years, and it has been a journey. The first year we were able to participate with Martha, it was raining and gross but it was amazing. The following years we ran in memory of her, I remember seeing Lisa, Jessica's Mom and she was limping from the drug treatment.. but she was so strong. Nothing could hold her back, not even this stupid disease. There must be something that makes you super-woman when you fight this disease, because now I see it in Jessica too. A determined attitude, you will not bring her down. It's a powerful thing to stand next to women like this, it spreads and soon everyone around them is believing in a cure, believing in hope. I'm not sure what the future will hold, but at least I can say I have tried to make a difference. I won't stop until there is a cure.

A really busy yet rewarding weekend!!

This weekend was the first of our season of fund raising! Friday night an awesome group of ladies came over and we enjoyed food, drinks and jewelry!! We had a representative from Premier Jewelry here to show us all of their awesome stuff and also gave a portion of the sales to our fund! Saturday morning we braved crazy wind gusts and a chilly morning to sell our stuff at the annual Merion Village Yard Sale! It wasn't the crowds we were expecting, but we did sell a lot! We're planning another yard sale to sell any more donations as well as the leftover stuff from Saturday. So many people were touched that we are doing this walk, and it just shows you how inclusive this disease is. So many people have lost an important woman in their life to breast cancer, hopefully we can be part of the cure!! Keep thinking Pink.. We appreciate all of your support! Alli

We've hit the $1,000 mark!!!

So awesome news!! Over the past weekend, we went over the $1,000 point of our fundraising adventure thanks to the generous donations we keep on receiving! THANKS! Coming up.... MAY 7: Ladies Night MAY 8: Garage Sale MAY 21: Dolphin Lounge benefit And of course, keep gathering those teams for our volleyball tourney July 10! :) We're getting there.... Amy

What we are up to..

So we have been feverishly planning a lot of events rights now! We're pretty much set up for our girls night in and the yard sale ( donations still being accepted!) The ground work has been laid for a bar night at The Dolphin Lounge thanks to Amy and Holmberg. Teri and I have been working on the volleyball tournament and it looks like it's shaping up a little!! I'm trying to spend a little time everyday thinking of ideas, hashing stuff out with anyone who will listen, and trying to pry money out of people.. it's hard work, but good work. In the midst of everything it's hard to remember why we are doing this, but then I think about my cousin Abby and how it was unbearable watching her grieve after losing her Mom to breast cancer at age 7. I think if I never had to see that scene again I would call a million places and beg for money from friends and family everyday. Let's end this.. let's find a cure.

Hope

Wow....This gets me every time!

It's from So You Think You Can Dance....about a woman with breast cancer. Wow

Get out your check books, we've got events coming up!!

As the temperature is rising so is our donation thermometer! We have been excitedly planning lots of events and activities to raise money for this amazing cause. Here is what we have so far, if you need more information, please contact one of us, we're happy to help answer any questions!!

May 7- Girls Night In!!

Join us for an evening of fun! We'll have a massage therapist, and a jewelry saleswoman, food and all the pink girlie drinks you can consume! Proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen!! For every friend you bring you'll be entered in a raffle for one awesome prize!!

May 8- Yard Sale for a Cure

We are accepting donations of all kinds of items to be sold at the Annual Merion Village yard sale! We will have our awesome wrist bands for sale as well as pink lemonade, so stop by even if you don't have anything to sell!! Contact Alli if you have items you'd like to sell!

July 10- Digging for Hope-

1st annual charity sand volleyball tournament! Gather up a team of 6 and register today! $150 per team, entry fee includes an awesome t-shirt and bracelet!!! Support IHeartJess today!!!!

Donate today!

Here we go!!

The first donations have started to roll in (thank you so much!!!) and we're excited to get things going. The three of us met in Columbus a few days ago and got super pumped about all of our ideas. Now our goal is to bridge from idea to reality and locations seem to really be holding us up at this point in time. We've been making calls and reaching out to everyone we can think of to make these events not only successful in terms of fundraising but also fun, enjoyable events that bring together people from all over our community. We're working very hard these coming weeks to nail down some dates so we can invite everyone out to hang out with us!! 

Isn't it crazy to think about that we could see the end of the devastation from breast cancer in our lifetimes? That's what keeps me pushing forward.  

Onward ho!  

Amy

New Balance is making it personal!

This year New Balance has their pink running shoes available to personalize! You can choose to honor the memory of loved ones, or those who are fighting today. A little pricey.. but New Balance will donate 5% of the sale to Susan G. Komen!! A great way to contribute to stomping out Breast Cancer for good!!!

Where my journey started..

I don't think I can ever forget the day that Jess called me and told me she had cancer. I was sitting on the couch playing with Carter and was so excited she called me! I knew instantly that there was something wrong, but I wasn't prepared for what she was about to tell me. When she told me that she was having a biopsy and that they thought it was cancer, I literally almost dropped my baby. I remember going upstairs and practically throwing him at Jd and going in our room and sitting on the edge of the bed, and with tears streaming down my face I promised her it would be ok. I'm sure my voice didn't convince her, I could hear my voice shaking and as I hung up the phone I lost it. This was unfair, we're young, we can't be dealing with this already. Maybe when we are 40 but 26? This is a scene that I know happens across America every day, with thousands of women. I know I'm not the first best friend to witness her friend go through surgery, chemo, and all that comes with the big C. I knew that I would see her body physically change, loss of hair, being ill from chemo.. but I never knew I would see my best friend turn into my hero. I am so proud to call her my hero and best friend, and in her name I am walking 60 miles with my two best friends to hopefully help stop this disease. Please support us in the next few months, financially, with prayers and positive thoughts sent our way!! :) We love you all!! Thank you for whatever you can do!!

So it's official!! 218 days until we walk!

Today our team is officially registered to walk on October 8-11 in Washington D.C.!  218 days away! In those 218 days, we plan to get our noses to the grindstone and raise money for the ta-tas like we've never raised money before!

We'll post a schedule of upcoming events soon so you can know where to be when to enjoy our fundraising fun all spring/summer long! 

Amy, Alli, Jess

Team I Heart Jess going for the gold! (well pink really  :)  )

WELCOME!

We'd like to welcome you to our blog!!! We will be blogging about starting at $0 with an exciting idea in our heads all the way until October when we reach our goal and head to Washington DC to go on a 3 day, 60 mile adventure to help find a cure for breast cancer! We appreciate every single person who supports us in every way because we sure need it! 


Stay tuned for exciting updates and ways to get involved!


Amy, Alli and Jess!