Well, we're getting down to official training time!

When I signed up for the 3-day I also signed up for their 24-week training in which I received a little calendar filled with training for each and everyday for 24 weeks leading up to the official 3-day walk. However, I've been pretty anxious to get started which is why Jamie (my 3-day partner in crime) and I started training a few weeks ago. 

Officially, we have 27 weeks and 185 days left until Day 1 of the 3-day walk for the Cure. Tonight, I decided to make my walk a little more interesting. My friend Shannon (who has been so great and joined me for a few walks through my training thus far) and I decided to walk to this new frozen yogurt place I discovered a few weeks ago. It's called Yogurtlicious (Barton Road), and if you haven't been, I HIGHLY recommend it-- it's like the new Ohana's! Anyway, it's approximately 2 miles away from my apartment. A good 4 mile round-trip walk for a summer evening. 

According to MapMyRun (which is this fancy little app Jamie introduced me to which uses GPS to calculate your distance, pace, time, calories burned, etc), we walked 4.54 miles in total. It was a great little walk, and kind of relaxing too!

I've found that I'm really enjoying training. It's really great to set aside the time to just walk either by yourself or with a friend and debunk the day or week or what have you. It's very relaxing and you're forced to put the world away until you are done walking. There's no short cuts to getting back to your car or apartment either, no one to pick you up, you just push through until you get back and THEN you can deal with your problems. Training has been a method of "getting away" for me, which is really quite nice. 

On another note- so far I have raised $426!!! This is such a great number to be at! My meter is up to 5% which I love seeing. We've got to keep it rising though. Please, help me reach my goal!

If everyone put in $100, we'd be there so quickly!! However, I understand that not all of you have $100 to spare. Do you have $25 to spare? ...would you consider donating $25 over 4 months? This is an option you can choose when you place your donate with Susan G. Komen. Check out the website and see how much of a difference your donation can make! http://www.the3day.org/goto/katiestutz

Oh, and here's a fun little video my Aunt Ellen shared with me today about self-breast exams: 

Hi everyone!


I want to first thank everyone who has already donated. I've officially raised $176 toward my $8,000 goal! It means SO much to be that you have donated money out of your own pocket to support finding a cure for breast cancer. Did you know that once you donate the money it gets put to use immediately by Susan G. Komen? They don't wait until the 3-day starts in November! ...just another reason for those of you who haven't donated to give today!


I also wanted to update you all on my training. My 3-day partner, Jamie, and I got together last Sunday and walked 8 miles! Go big on your first day of training or go home, right? We were both pretty sore the next day but it was well worth it! We only need to walk 2.5 times that per day in the actual 3-day event, no biggie!


Last night I had to go to target so instead of driving to the store, I walked! Round trip was about 4 miles. It was nice to have a destination, somewhere to go and something to do for my walk. My friend Shannon came along with me so I had some good company.


Today, Jamie and I got together again and walked another 8.5 miles according to the app on her phone. It was about 90 degrees out today so our shoulders got burnt... next time I'm actually going to put on my sun screen... Don't want to get skin cancer while I'm fighting for a cure against Breast Cancer! I'm crazy tired but the training has been so much fun. I can't want to keep training!


So glad I can share this experience with you as my readers and my donors. Thanks for reading and following me on this amazing journey!


P.S. Don't forget to donate please! :)
http://www.the3day.org/goto/katiestutz

Hello! And welcome to my 3-day Journey Blog. Here, you can find updates on my fundraising and training for the Susan G. Komen 3-day for the cure.


For my first post, I am posting my fundraising letter which details why exactly I am participating in the 3-Day in the first place! I know it's a little long, but I promise it's worth the read. Thanks for visiting my page, I am so excited to embark on this journey for such an amazing cause!


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This coming fall I will be walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-day for the Cure in San Diego, CA. I will be dedicating 3 days and 60 miles to the fight against breast cancer. I have decided to walk not only because I believe in what it stands for but also because I want to raise awareness, education and help fund the research that makes advances in early detection and treatment possible. My aunt Ellen’s life was saved by early detection, twice.


My cousin, Morgan, was only 9 months old when my aunt Ellen and uncle Steve wanted to have another child. She had just finished breast-feeding and wanted to get the “all clear” from her doctor to have another baby. During the appointment, she requested to have a mammogram. Her doctor explained to her that there was no indication for one since she had the baseline mammogram when she was 38 and everything was normal. However, my aunt is one of the most persistent people I know; she pushed for the test and persuaded her doctor. It was a good thing she did because the mammogram results reported a 2mm lump in her right breast and the pathology report showed she had both invasive and non-invasive ductal carcinoma with possible lymphatic invasion. In September of 1995, my aunt Ellen underwent a lumpectomy, started 6 months of chemotherapy and underwent 33 radiation treatments. In March of 1996, she was cancer-free. Unfortunately, this was not the end of her battle.


In November 2006, she went in for a routine mammogram where doctors found a new breast cancer in her left breast. This time, she was told she had Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). Ellen was lucky because DCIS is non-invasive, meaning it hadn’t spread beyond the milk duct into any normal surrounding breast tissue. Unfortunately, the only treatment for DCIS is to remove the breast. My aunt Ellen had had enough of this disease and she didn’t want to risk getting it a third time. On March 17th, 2006 she underwent a double mastectomy. Although the mammogram and ultrasound showed her right breast to still be cancer free, she insisted on having it removed. When the pathology report came back, she was informed that there had been a recurrence of the breast cancer in her right breast.


Each time, Ellen did the genetic testing to test for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The BRCA gene mutation is approximately 5-times higher in people of Ashkenazi Jewish decent than that found in the general population. The tests always came back negative for my aunt but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the gene mutation for breast cancer. Her Oncologist does not believe it’s a coincidence that she has had this many encounters with breast cancer- especially with a new breast cancer- he believes that she has the gene mutation, she just has one that hasn’t been isolated yet and therefore, there is no test for it. Unfortunately, this means that I to could have the gene mutation and not know it yet.


My aunt is not the only one in my family who has had to face breast cancer. My grandmother, at age 71, was diagnosed with breast cancer after a small lump was found on a routine mammogram.


Being of Ashkenazi Jewish decent and having multiple family members who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, I am at huge risk for also getting this terrible disease. When I was 21 years old, my doctor found a lump during a routine breast exam. The ultrasound showed the lump to be approximately 2 inches; that’s 1,000 times the size of my aunt’s tumor! Luckily, the pathology report showed my lump to be benign, non-cancerous. I am so thankful this was the result because it could have been too late for me. Had I been doing routine breast exams on myself? No, because you never think that will ever be you. You never think you’ll be the one who hears their doctor say you have a lump. You never think you’ll be the one laying in the chair with your arm over your head while a doctor biopsies the lump in your breast.


Early detection saved my grandmother’s life, it saved my aunt’s life twice, and it could save your life or the life of someone you know. That is why I am walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-day. I am walking because I believe that no woman, or man, should EVER have to go through that fear. I was lucky, but many are not, and it is for them that I walk. I am walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure for my aunt, my grandmother, my mother, my sister, my cousins, my daughter(s) and myself... I am walking for your mother, your aunt(s), your grandmother(s), your sister, your cousins, YOU and your daughter(s).


Every 90 minutes 45 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed. Breast cancer does not discriminate against races or religion; breast cancer is something that affects each and every one of us. We all can relate on the topic of breast cancer. We all know someone or have heard the story of someone affected by this terrible diagnosis. But there’s something else that we all have in common… we all can do something about it! Not everyone can be the scientist performing the research but we all can donate. We all can help.


My aunt Ellen, who walked in the Susan G. Komen 3-day in Seattle, raised $8,000 for breast cancer research. It is my hope that I too can raise $8,000 to honor my aunt Ellen, her fellow survivors and to remember those who lost their battle. Please, join me in the fight against breast cancer and help me reach my goal. Together, we can make a difference.


Donations can be made on my personal fundraising page at http://www.the3day.org/goto/katiestutz or by calling 800-996-3DAY. Online and phone donations can either be made in one lump sum or up to four monthly payments. Your company may even ffer to match your donation through their Matching Gifts Program. Contributions to Susan G. Komen are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. No donation is too big – or too small. If you have any questions about donating, feel free to call or e-mail me at any time, as I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.


Thank you for supporting me and the fight against breast cancer. I am so excited to embark on this journey with so many other dedicated women and men.


Chances are that you know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Consider your donation as a powerful tribute to them. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I appreciate your support.


Sincerely,


Katie Stutz
San Diego, CA 3-day


P.S. Don’t wait- donate today!


Look at what your donations could mean:
$35- used to provide the cost of patient transportation to a treatment session
$60- used to support a 3-day walker through his/her 60 mile journey 
$120- used to provide the cost of a life saving mammogram
$250- There are 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in America
$585- The average 3-Day walker will walk 585 miles while training
$1150- Halfway to the minimum $2,300 to walk!