The color pink…look it up in the dictionary and you’ll find out it’s a mixture of red and white…but in reality it has so many more meanings than that. What do you think of when you see the color pink? Yes…I know the stereotypical thought of pink would be like a ballerina costume or something…maybe a flamingo or a watermelon would be somewhere on that list too, but I’m aiming towards something a little bit more complex than that. What do I think of when I see the color pink? Let’s just say it’s something a lot more meaningful, something that most people don’t even realize the color pink represents…I think of “Making Strides against Breast Cancer.”



Okay…so it’s the beginning of November, and personally I love autumn. Maybe it’s because the leaves are changing colors, no more blazing hot summer days when your skin practically melts off, no more getting stung by jellyfish in the ocean…it’s time to retire the flip flops, forget that summer job that you probably hated, and bring in the cooler weather, those really cute Halloween pumpkins, and the darker nights. Another reason I absolutely love the fall? October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month- yeah I know that’s not something to get excited about- but the chance of getting to help breast cancer victims is…and “Making Strides against Breast Cancer” at Jones Beach is one of the best ways to do it. I’ve always wanted to do the walk since I heard it was a really fun experience, but of course it was added to my never-ending “oh yeah I’m gonna do it, but then I never actually got around to it” list…so this year my cousin Melissa and I decided that it didn’t matter how busy we may be that day, or how we’re going to get there, because no matter what, we are finally going to pull-through and do the 5-mile walk together…it doesn’t sound like such a hard thing to get accomplished but considering how many years we’ve been wanting to do this it should go down in history. I don’t think it’s hard to see how excited I am about participating in this for the first time, so of course I did what I do best…I researched it. What I found out was that “Making Strides against Breast Cancer” all started in 1993, and it is anything but a competition. It is just a simple 5-mile walk around Jones Beach and its goal is to raise as much money as possible as well as awareness about breast cancer and how to detect it in its early stages. The point of the walk is to have a “group” whether it be a corporation, a school class, a youth group, or just your family and friends wanting to donate to the American Cancer Society.



So the day of the walk approached a lot quicker than I thought…and OF COURSE the year I decide to do it….its FREEZING! I literally woke up at 6:30 in the morning and thought I stepped into an icebox…but still I was a trouper and decided to pull through regardless of my frozen-ness. The entire car ride there, if you looked into the cars next to you- like I did- every single one of them had someone in the car who was either A) Wearing loads of pink they could make a flamingo run for their money B) Looked really cold and had that “How come it has to be freezing today, when I want to have a nice time?” expression on their face. Or C) Seemed very excited to be doing the walk and was therefore trying to drive very fast despite the traffic so they could park their car before the rest of the crowd. My car? Well, we kind of had a mixture of all three of those options. When you get onto the field where all of the booths are every inch of them is just covered in pink and ribbons…while I was on the walk I even saw this guy carrying a huge wooden ribbon that was painted pink, and it had to be about four feet tall. By time we got to the end of the walk, I really didn’t think it was five miles…it really felt like one. I guess they’re right when they say time flies when you’re having fun…



Now let’s back track to my earlier discussion about the color pink…pink is the color that represents breast cancer, which is all the more reason to love it (I wasn’t just talking about pink for the sake of talking about a color!) …now don’t you see what I meant when I said pink I more than just red and white? I can’t even tell you how much pink I saw at the walk this year, and if you wanted to come see for yourself the walk was held on Sunday, October 19th, and the strides started at 8 A.M sharp, at Jones Beach. So, the walk passed but still want to help out? You can donate to the American Cancer Society by visiting their website www.cancer.org and clicking on the Donate Now link, making a phone donation to 1-800-ACS-2345, or you could mail your donation to PO Box 22718 in Oklahoma City, OK. Now that you know the ways that you can get involved, I really hope you take advantage of it. Knowing that just taking two hours out of my day is helping to save millions of lives of breast cancer victims is one of the best feelings in the world. Was it a little upsetting to see the people who have struggled against breast cancer and the ones who are going through that pain right then and there? Yes...but was it amazing to make a difference in helping them get through their suffering? Definitely.

Hmmm…let’s see…a long walk on the beach, and helping to raise awareness for an amazing cause? Sounded like an ideal for me…and besides…who doesn’t love pink? ‘Till next time…