"I dream of living a life that is cancer free. Thank you for being a dream maker" .. banner held by breast cancer survivors during the closing ceremony of the 2001 Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day

On the morning of October 11, 2002 my sisters and I are going to take the first step of an incredible journey. A journey of kindness, compassion and most of all a journey of hope. For at that moment we will be taking our first step on the Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day walk. We will be joined by 3000 other women and men united in a common cause: Finding a cure for breast cancer.

We chose to participate in this challenge because of the impact breast cancer has had on our family. Our aunt, Teresa Ducharme, lost her battle with breast cancer. Our aunt, Marie Cloonan, lost her battle with breast cancer. Our mother, Joan DiBart, lost her battle with breast cancer. Our aunt, Mary Cavuto, lost her battle with breast cancer. These women were mothers, daughters, wives, aunts, sisters and friends. Their importance to our families cannot be measured and neither can our loss. We miss them terribly.

This year, approximately 182,800 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. That's 500 per day. More than 40,800 will die. 80% won't have any genetic predisposition to the disease. Men can get breast cancer too. Every year, about 1,500 men will be diagnosed with the disease.

More than almost any other serious disease, breast cancer touches nearly all of us, whether we're women or men, old or young. A woman's chance of having breast cancer during her lifetime is one in eight. Your chance of knowing this woman is almost 100%. Less than a third of American women follow the recommended guidelines for self-examination and regular mammography. Many of them are underserved, don't have access to a doctor or are too afraid of the results to find out. But finding out is critical -- more than 97% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage survive for more than five years.

Excluding skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. The death rate from the disease is declining -- people are surviving. In fact, there are 2 million breast cancer survivors in America today. But in order to survive, they need access to medical care, access to screening, education and treatment. And we ultimately need a cure.

There are over one million women in America with undetected breast cancer. If we told you there was something you could do to help them find out and survive, how far would you be willing to go?

The money raised by the Breast Cancer 3 Day is used to fund access to care and find a cure for breast cancer. Your donations will support this mission through five vital areas of the breast cancer cause: biomedical research, clinical care, financial assistance and support services, educational seminars and advocacy training, and early detection and awareness programs nationwide. Our fundraising goal for this 3 day walk is $7600.00 and we are asking for your help to meet (and maybe even exceed) this goal. Together we can make a difference. Together We can be the Dream Makers.