Meet Natalie My "Breastie"

So I have written, and re-written todays post multiple times. I want to do justice to this amazing lady I call my "breastie". I hope I got it right, and if not don't sue me Natalie :).

When I signed up to walk Chicago in 2010, I knew no one. Everyone I knew thought I was crazy for agreeing to walk 60 miles over 3 days. They all knew what the cause meant to me, but many couldn't understand the commitment. So again I state I went into this knowing not a single soul.

Once you sign up for the 3 Day you are allowed access to the 3 Day message boards. They really are a wealth of knowledge, and a great tool to meet new people. It was there on the 3 Day boards I established a connection with a person simply known as Nallie01. When we first started to chat she seemed a bit guarded, those of that know me, know that I am not :). However, I enjoyed chatting with her, reading her post on Facebook, and in general getting to know her story.

The night before the first day a group of us went out to dinner. That is where Natalie and I first crossed paths. She was the lone girl sitting at the restaurant. I remember thinking she looked just like Tina Fey. The minute we spoke I knew I had a friend. That night her and I chatted a lot, giggled a lot, and realized we had a lot in common. I felt at ease with her.

The weekend went on and again we laughed a lot, cried a little, and pushed each other to the point of exhaust. She kept me going when I wanted to quit (even though at one point I did want to punch her in the face ;), and made me a better person.

While I remember some things we talked about, and the laughs that we shared, the one thing that showed me she would be my "breatsie" was on the last day. I came up to the path right before the entrance at closing and there standing was Natalie. She was eating a snow cone, and looking all refreshed. She had a smile so big that even to this day it makes me smile. She was waiting on me. She knew how hard walking in there would be for me, and she waited, she waited for me. She knew I didn't want to walk in there alone. And I didn't because of Natalie. I will never forget having her by my side as all the people cheered for us. I will never forget it.

This year I didn't have Natalie at the Chicago 3 Day. But again because Natalie is well...Natalie, she made sure she was there in other ways. She sent me a card (with a very cool pin), and had a chocolate candy waiting for me. This year as I walk Dallas Natalie will be there. Even though Natalie is in her last semester of Law School at KU, she will take the time out of her BUSY (and I mean BUSY) life to volunteer one day at the Dallas 3 Day.

The 3 Day has taught a lot of things. But one of the most important is the lessons about friendships and life. When your body hurts so bad and you think you couldn't walk another step a "breastie" steps in and tells you to pick up your feet. When you are crying so hard at opening, and you aren't sure if you can walk a mile (let alone 23) a "breastie" says, "if you cry again I am going to punch you in the face :)." When you go to the remembrance tent and want someone close (but not too close) a "breastie" gives you that space, but also that hug.

I can never thank Natalie enough for all that she has given to me. She has no idea (I think) how much she has impacted my life. Even though I am old enough to be her mom I still think of her as a friend. She is the best "breastie" one could ever ask for. Love you Nat :)

Am I a Solider?

Today I was at Wal Mart, was waiting in line, and in a pink ribbon T-shirt. The lady in front of me was bald. First thought of course is cancer, and going through chemo. She turns around, sees my shirt, and laughs. She then proceeds to say "Do you really think that pink ribbon makes a difference". I was taken aback by that. I told her I hope it did. She said, "So once a year you worry about those battling the disease.”. I told her no, and went on to explain how I walk in the 3 Day and how my mom lost her fight. She looked at me and told me "You are a Solider. You are fighting this war."

I have never thought about it that way, but if facts are right over 40,000 people this year alone will die from this disease. OVER 40,000. That number to me is unreal. So yes, I call it a war. Yes, I am proud to stand up and serve for people everywhere who feel like they have no voice, no choice, and no way to stop this cancer.

I am proud to say I believe there is HOPE. I am proud to say that until the day a cure is found I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR IT. If that makes me a solider, great, because cancer has always been the enemy. Anyone want to join my army :)

I Feel Sorry for August...

It use to be my favorite month. Don't get me wrong, A LOT of great things happen in August. For starters I was born in that month :), some of the hottest days of summer are then, school starts back, and of course the promise of fall is right around the corner.
However, in 1998 things changed for me. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. From that day forward my life was changed. I knew nothing about breast cancer. All I knew was my mom had it. I didn't know that if detected early enough there is hope. I didn't know 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed. I didn't know every 3 minutes another person hears those dreaded words. I did not know that because of my high risk status that at 37 years old every six months my life would be put on hold, as I wait yet again for mammogram results. I did not know that very soon pink would become my favorite color.
What I did know is that I didn't want to lose my mommy. What I did know is that I wanted answers. What I did know is that God was in control. What I did know is that I needed hope.
So for me I did some research, learned some facts, and went to battle with my mom against this UGLY disease. I sat with her through both chemo and radiation. I held her hand as they shaved her head. I helped her throw away those God awful wigs. Bought her all the baseball caps I could find, and anything that had a pink ribbon on it. Her telling me all along that we were showing cancer who was boss. Little did we know....
Anyone who knows me knows how this story ends. In the wee morning hours of April 20th, 2004 my mommy died. I was lucky to be holding her hand, and was able to see her take that last breathe. I promised her on that morning that cancer hadn't won. I mean sure it may have won the fight, but every day we are coming closer and closer to winning the battle.
So let me get back to the boring sad month of August. I feel bad saying it, but my new favorite month is October. While August does have some amazing things about it (see above), no month (except December) can hold a candle to the beautiful month of October. For those of us impacted by breast cancer at all this is a month of HOPE. It is a month where it is OK to talk about boobs. It is a month where early detection is all you hear about. It is a month full of awareness. It is a month where many lives are saved.
So all during this month I will be featuring different people on this blog. Some you may know, and some you may not. All of these people have been affected by cancer in one way or another. I want to give a face to cancer. I want people to understand that not just strangers get it, that it can happen to them, and their loved ones.
So enjoy the first day of this month. Make sure you laugh a little more this month, make a few more memories this month, act a bit sillier, wear more pink, and of course become aware. Make those important appointments, feel the "girls", and know what is normal and not. If you don't do it for yourself do it for the poor month of August. I am sure he doesn't want to lose any more fans :)

Seven Years Ago Today

We still had hope. We had hope for a few more holidays and a few more months. Seven years ago today we celebrated the last holiday we ever would with my mom, Easter.
Brad, Riley, Emi, and I stayed in a hotel while mom was in the hospital. We awoke that morning to squeals of delight from Riley. The Easter bunny had come and left her a scooter in the bathtub. She couldn't wait to go show Grandma Mary.
We went to Mass in Edmond and after that went straight to the hospital. I am sure the nurses at Mercy were just "thrilled" when a 3 Year old came zipping down the hall on her Disney Princess scooter. We didn't care in the least bit because the moment my mom saw her she laughed so hard.
I remember walking in the room and my sisters little girl sitting on the bed blowing bubbles with Maw Maw, and just laughing so hard. By this point my mom’s skin was turning yellow, but we still had hope. Mom was scheduled to take a chemo in the morning. We all disagreed, but agreed with the fact that it was her fight. If she wanted chemo give her chemo.
So as I reflect back on this day seven years ago I can't help but smile. She loved all of us more than anything. Her desire to fight was unbelievable. She really did fight until the end. I miss her everyday.....

This Year I Choose.....

This year as I walk I will do so much different :). I promise to enjoy the whole process and not just search for the next mile marker or finish line. This year as I walk I promise to smile and laugh more. There are so many people there that are true characters, and you can't help but giggle. This year I promise to look around me and appreciate EACH person that is there. This year I promise to high five a lot more, and feel self conscious a LOT LESS. This year I will take pictures from the beginning until the end. This year I promise to cry more (is that possible) and enjoy every moment. God only gives us so many days on this earth. It is our job to do with those days what we will. I choose to battle the disease that took my beautiful, amazing, and wonderful mother. I choose to make a difference in the world of breast cancer. I choose to walk to help find a cure.

One More day

If only there was one more day. All the things I would say and do. I would be the best daughter ever and make sure you knew how much I loved you. There would be no fights. It would only be fun. My girls would bring in flowers and bubbles. We would laugh so hard we'd pee ourselves. We would talk about the past and the future. I would assure you daddy would be ok and you would promise me you would always look after me. I would tell you it was OK to go and promise you that everything would be ok. One more day and I would get to tell you everything instead of praying about it every night. One more day to say I love you. I miss you everyday. You were my mommy and always will be.

I know not all the words are right with this song but it helps me
Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn't ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished, for one more day with you

One more day
One more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again
I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still, for one more day with you

First thing I'd do, is pray for time to crawl
Then I'd unplug the telephone
And keep the TV off
I'd hold you every second
Say a million I love you's
That's what I'd do, with one more day with you

One more day
One more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again
I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still, for one more day with you

Leave me wishing still, for one more day
Leave me wishing still, for one more day

How Can You Help

So I get asked all the time, how can I help you reach your goal to walk in the 3 day? The first answer (and the obvious one too) is a donation. Please understand that when I say no amount is too big or too small I mean that. I know not everyone has $100 to give (heck I don't), and I know for some people $1,000 is like $10. So please understand every dime helps. Also all donations are tax deductible. When you go to www.the3day.org it is so simple to donate. All you do is go to the donate tab and search my name (Nicole Hercules). Then you can pick one of their preset dollar amounts or write in your own. Any donation that is over $100 can be broken up into four payments, which I think is a great option. Within minutes you will get an email confirming your donation, and I will get one too :)
A second way you can help, support my fundraisers. In April (depending on weather) I will be hosting another garage sale. It was a HUGE success last year, and I am praying for the same results this year. So how do you help with that? As you are doing your spring cleaning think about donating those unwanted items to my sale. Nothing is priced and people just donate whatever they want for the item, so all you have to do is call me and I will swing by and pick up your goodies. In May I will be traveling to OKC for a Redhawks baseball game (May 14th) Please come to the game is you can. Tickets are $15 they are great seats (actual face value is $15) and you get a FREE hat. $5 from each ticket sold goes to my 3 Day account. All the info for the event can be found on Facebook (saving second base).
A third way you can help is to donate your time. I have plans to be canning in front of Wal-Mart again this year. I plan to do it once in June and then again in October. Last year my AMAZING sister in law and I did it by ourselves. We raised a ton of money, but could have raised more if we would have had all entrances covered. So a total of 12 people are needed. Six at each time and it would be in two hour shifts. It really is a lot of fun, and if you are extra lucky I'll even make you a tu tu :). We also have plans to stand in front of Bush Stadium before and after a game (it is legal in St. Louis) and collect donations there. I need four people to help with that and if you help I will even treat you to the ball game :).
A fourth way you can help is by telling others about the cause. The more people that know the more money I have a chance of raising. If everyone would just tell 10 people and ask them to donate $10 I could have my money raised in no time at all.
A Fifth and final way you can help is to pray for me. Walking 60 miles requires a lot of training and hard work. Walking 120 miles requires a lot of prayer :). I know that each one of you who reads this knows what the 3 day means to me. It is so much more than just 3 simple days. It is a life changing experience and as I become more involved in the community I see how much of a blessing it really is. Those three days last August changed my life forever, and I shall never forget them or the people that made it all happen.
So I hope this lengthy post has helped to sum up how you can help. Again, I am greatful, thankful, and touched beyond words at all of the support I have already received. I thank each one you from the bottom of my heart.