Parade of Pink Offers Hope

FARMINGTON HILLS
Parade of pink offers hope
Breast Cancer 3-Day walkers come from near and far to honor those who’ve battled the disease
By ASHLEY WOODS Special to The Oakland Press

Last summer, Jane Solomar found a lump in her breast. “It was a small mass, and eventually, we learned it was benign. But that’s why I’m here.” Solomar of Warren stood in a circle with her team, the “Three-Day Dawgs,” at Pioneer Park in Farmington Hills. Her teammates came from Waterford Township, Fraser and even Houston, Texas to join the Michigan Breast Cancer 3-Day.
The Michigan Breast Cancer 3-Day is one of 11 such 60-mile walking and camping weekend events nationwide. Proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.
From Friday to Sunday, the park was just one the first of many pit stops along the course, which runs from Farmington Hills through Farmington, Plymouth, Livonia, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. To join the race, the 2,300 participants were required to pay a $90 registration fee and raise $2,200 in pledges and donations. In addition, 400 crew members commit to working round-the-clock for four days straight to support the walkers. Last year, the Michigan charity weekend raised $5.9 million to support breast cancer research and outreach. It’s also a way for cancer survivors, supporters of research, and friends of those fighting the disease to connect.
“There’s a lot of fun, and a lot of camaraderie,” said Shelley Davidson of Oxford, a registered nurse manning the First Aid/Self Care table at Pit Stop 1.
Many participants register to walk in teams. Noonie Kowalski of Oxford and five of her female co-workers formed the Wojo’s Greenhouse team in May. She said the team spent months raising money through charity events, such as card nights and a garage sale.
“We also did a fund-raiser at (bd’s Mongolian Barbeque) restaurant,” Kowalski said. “We sold tickets to the event, and they let us get behind the grill and cook the food!”
The team trained all summer on the Paint Creek Trailway in Rochester.
“It’s definitely rewarding,” said teammate Susan Bork of Oxford, “and not just because my clothes no longer fit!”
Emily Dowgiallo of Dearborn lost her godmother to breast cancer five years ago. Last year, she walked the Michigan Breast Cancer 3-day alone. This year, she has four friends, including Mary Abraham of Dearborn, her former kindergarten teacher, to help her along. All five women have relatives and close friends who were diagnosed with the disease.
“It’s not easy,” said Dowgiallo, of the three-day walk. “But it’s nothing compared to what they go through.”
Carolyn Ruge, a Toledo resident and breast cancer survivor, traveled to Michigan with her daughter and a friend to participate in the “closest walk that I could find.” Ruge, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2005, said she enjoyed the physical exercise.
“It’s not bad overall. I’m a little tired, but it’s OK. I just don’t have the stamina I used to have before I went through treatment.”
When they weren’t fund-raising, many participants spent time creating pinkthemed outfits for the weekend. Pink cowboy hats, tutus, feather boas, bandanas and Mardi Gras beads were just some of the accessories.
Teams often design their own Tshirts, many bearing the names of personal friends and family who were diagnosed with breast cancer. Noonie Kowalski said her walking team picked unusual lime -green color because the entire team works at Wojo’s Greenhouse of Oxford. “We’re giving the race a green thumbs-up for the cure,” she said, laughing.
Once they arrived at Pit Stop 1, the women were greeted with sandwiches, bananas, liquids and shade. Diane Lewey of Dearborn said she began work as a member of the crew at 5:15 Friday morning. “We set up all these tents in the dark,” she said.
Even before two of her aunts were diagnosed with breast cancer, Lewey said she was interested in volunteering.
“We all have breasts, and we all don’t want to die,” she said.

Marathon to help fight Crohn's and Colitis

Pam Barclay of Oxford, 26, who has ulcerative colitis and has had many of her internal organs removed, will be competing in The ING Half-Marathon, scheduled for January 27 in Miami.



OXFORD
Marathon to help fight Crohn’s and colitis
By ASHLEY WOODS Special to The Oakland Press


Anyone running their first half-marathon would have a reason to be nervous.
Pam Barclay of Oxford, 26, who has ulcerative colitis and has had many of her internal organs removed, said she is nervous, but remains positive about competing in The ING Half-Marathon, scheduled for January 27 in Miami.
“I’m excited to do my best,” Barclay said. “It’s just about participating — it’s not about finishing.”
Barclay will run 13.1 miles as the “Honored Teammate” for the Michigan chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America team. The “Team Challenge” program brings together people with Crohn’s and colitis diseases to raise funds and awareness for the two forms of inflammatory bowel disease.
Barclay was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis disease when she was about 13 years old.
“The similarities between both diseases, the vagueness, really make Crohn’s and colitis difficult to treat,” she said.
Symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea mixed with blood, and cramping. She grew ulcers in her large intestine, which began eating through her other organs. At age 14, she underwent surgery to remove her large intestine and rectum, as well as parts of her pancreas, liver, and small intestine that were damaged by the colitis.
“It was horrible,” Barclay said of her years in high school after the surgery. “I had an ostomy bag, and my hair fell out from the steroids. I was 14 years old, I weighed 68 pounds, and I wasn’t even 4 feet tall.”
By joining “Team Challenge,” Barclay and her teammates agreed to participate in weekly training sessions with medical professionals and long-distance runners for coaches. “I still have problems with my kidneys, so I’m nervous about that,” she said. “I also have arthritis in my joints.”
Brad Kegebein, 25, is one of three coaches for the 20-person running team.
“We’re up to 60-minute runs on Sundays now,” he said, “as well as running four miles every Tuesday and Thursday.”
He said the training, which includes tips on technique, stretching and even proper footwear, is designed for the varying levels of ability within the group.
“I would say Pam is in the highest level of runners on the team,” he said. “Some of the other girls are still sick, which affects them.”
“I needed to become more of an advocate for ulcerative colitis,” said Barclay, who joined CCFA after her younger brother was also diagnosed with the disease two years ago. “It’s an embarrassing disease, and that’s why no one talks about it. Okay, so we have problems going to the bathroom.”
To fit in at school, Barclay said she pretended she wasn’t ill. “It’s not commonly known. People understand cancer and heart disease. They don’t understand ostomy bags.”
Barclay, along with the other “Team Challenge” participants, pledged to raise $3,500 in donations for the trip. So far, she’s raised less than $500.
“The worst case scenario is, I put it on my credit card,” she said. Donations are accepted through the team’s fund-raising page at http://www.active. com/donate/MI08MICH.
Nervous or not, Barclay said she’s excited to run her first half-marathon. “If you had asked me at age 14 if I would ever run a (half-marathon), I’d say no way!” she laughed. She said she’s also anxious to improve awareness of these diseases.
“In reality, Crohn’s and colitis are out there,” she said. “Over a million people are suffering. It’s time we stop living in silence, and start living out loud.”