Back in '96, I went through a really difficult time.  I had just turned 29--figured I'd be married with a kid or two by that point in my life.  I desperately needed a change.
 
So I found a new job, gave up my apartment, moved to a new community.  First day on the job, I met the A/R person--this bubbly, vivacious girl named Pam.  We became good friends--went out to lunch together every day, and out for a beer after work a couple times a week.  A month or so after we met, she started talking about her brother--how wonderful he was....how we had the same weird sense of humor....how she thought we'd be a great couple.
 
I declined; after all, he lived 5 hours from me, so he was 'GUD' (geographically undesirable).  I also wasn't ready to date.  Well....after several weeks, she wore me down.  I agreed to meet her brother. 
 
I purposely got to the bar about an hour early, to give myself time to have a couple of beers and RELAX.  A few minutes before our meeting time, a very handsome guy walked in and took a seat at the bar.  (I was playing darts).  He watched me....and I turned to make eye contact with him....threw another dart....he smiled at me....I finally walked over to him and said, "Danny??"   (He later told me that his sisters are the only people who ever called him "Danny"--rather than 'Dan'--and he fell in love with me right then and there, LOL!)
 
We ended up having dinner together that night.  And, though he lived 5 hours away, we managed to see each other a few nights a week since he had to be in my area on business.  (Jimmy Buffet's Come Monday became "our" song, because that's when he'd come down each week--Come Monday/it'll be alright/Come Monday/I'll be holding you tight...)
 
We got engaged after just 4 months, then married 9 months later.  From the very start, he was exactly the kind of man I never knew I wanted, LOL!  (His sisters did a GREAT job!!!! ;-))
 
Then, 9 years ago, Pam was diagnosed with breast cancer--6 MONTHS after she noticed a lump.  Because she had bumped herself and had pain, the doctor kept telling her it was a clogged milk duct ("breast cancer doesn't hurt," he said.)  By the time she was diagnosed, the cancer had spread.  One year later my beautiful, vibrant sister-in-law --the one person most responsible for my wonderful life-- lost hers to a monster called 'Cancer'.
 
I still see her, when I look into my childrens' eyes.  They are her legacy.  I hope she knows how happy we are.  I hope she knows how much we miss her.
 
THIS is the reason I will work to help find a cure; because, together, we CAN make a difference.
 
why I walk...                                Terri's Story
Why I Walk                               Ange's Story
 
Several years ago, I was driving with my daughters to a tumbling meet.  On the radio, a little girl was telling of how her daddy was going to walk in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for her mommy.  It touched my heart.  I looked back at my girls and thought that I never wanted them to have to go what this poor little girl was going through.  At that moment I decided that I wanted to be a part of this.  And so it began....
 
I called my sister-in-law Terri and told her I was going to do it...I didn't know with who or how I would raise the money, but I wanted to be involved.  She totally agreed...especially after having lost her sister-in-law Pam to breast cancer. 
 
I have participated in 8 Avon Walks ~ 7 in Chicago and one in Los Angeles.    I have walked with Terri and Kim, Janet, DeeDee, my Aunt Carol and Amy and countless numbers of friends and strangers we have met along the way.  We have touched lives and hearts by being a part of this....and will continue to do so until a cure is found.  In May of 2012, Amy and I will walk in Washington D.C.
 
This will be the 5th Annual Community Walk for Breast Cancer in McHenry.  All proceeds raised will fund the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  You can come and walk and bring $10, $100 or $1,000....or nothing at all, but a generous spirit to raise awareness.  It is a way for everyone to be involved. 
 
So please join us on October 1st --- the 1st day of breast cancer awareness month & let's do something good together!!!!!!!
 
We walk for our daughters and all little girls....so someday they will wear pink ribbons only in their hair....and not on their shirts.