Group of local women train for three-day, 60-mile walk to raise breast cancer awareness

Shelly Lane of Cape Girardeau has been involved in walks and runs for the fight against various cancers for several years.

After losing her mother to blood cancer in December, she increased her activities to include leadership positions, most recently organizing a team to walk 60 miles in three days in a Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.

Lane formed the team Show-me -A- Cure to walk in the event in memory of her mother. She recruited a friend, Rachel Cauble, who she had done a breast cancer race with, to be co-captain. Cauble asked her friend Cathy Miskell, a breast cancer survivor, to join and the numbers continued to grow. The group is made up of eight women, five of whom reside in Cape Girardeau; two live in Kentucky and the other in Springfield, Mo.

According to the organization's website, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a 60-mile walk for those who want to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer by raising money for research and patient support groups.

Teams sleep in pink tents and walk 15 to 22 miles a day to reach 60 miles. The Komen foundation organizes 3-Day walks in various cities around the country. The Show-me -A- Cure team will participate in the Atlanta event, following a route through the city.

"I'm excited," Miskell said. "It's a challenge. It has motivated me to get in shape."

The team began training for the three-day event this month with fitness and fundraising tips provided by the Susan G. Komen website.

"It's a balancing act when you have to spend almost two hours a day training," Cauble said. "You have to be dedicated."

Each woman has a personalized training plan, but the group members who live in Cape Girardeau meet each week for a long walk. The team started walking six miles outdoors once a week and members said they will continue regardless of the weather. The women will add one mile to the group walk every other week, eventually building up to 20 miles in one day.

"We're pushing ourselves [when training] just like cancer patients have to push themselves every day," Lane said.

She said she chose the three-day walk because the work they would have to do would help them relate a little to the struggle a cancer patient goes through.

"What we are doing is nothing compared to what patients and survivors do," she said.

Each participant is required to raise $2,300 to donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Team members have been raising money since winter through various fundraisers. They raffled off a pink Vespa and are selling pink tie-dye T-shirts with the Susan G. Komen "I deserve a lifetime" slogan on them. The team also has a team webpage at www.the3day.org to accept donations; it can be found by clicking on the "Donate to a Participant" tab on the right side of the page.

The team -- Lane, Cauble, Miskell, Tammy Mueller and Kelly Roslen of Cape Girardeau; Amy Engel and Cindi Epperson of Kentucky; and Theresa Welch of Springfield. -- has raised $9,874. Lane said she is really proud of the team and was surprised how many people have helped.

Miskell, along with Mueller, a friend and fellow survivor, said they had wanted to do something like this for a while, but it was Lane and Cauble who really kicked it off for them.

Miskell and Mueller met in 2007 at Turning Point, a support group at Southeast Missouri Hospital for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Mueller's cancer turned up during a routine mammogram. Miskell's doctor found her cancer after ordering comprehensive testing when she developed adult-onset asthma.

Miskell admitted she never had regular mammograms but said she is now an advocate for them to help with early detection.

"Don't skip screenings," she said. "Cancer is scary, but you have to put things in perspective."

She said some people may not get screened because they don't want to hear the results.

Saint Francis Medical Center's breast cancer support group, Restore, helps patients at all stages of diagnosis. In addition to Turning Point, Southeast Missouri Hospital also offers a support group for breast cancer survivors and people receiving treatment called Bosom Buddies. The group meets monthly with facilitators and counselors to update members on progress and to discuss issues such as problem sleeping and survivorship once patients are done with treatment.

The Susan G. Komen foundation helps fund support groups for breast cancer, though none of the local groups pull funding from it.

McKeon said Turning Point also provides its members with a six-month pass to Healthpoint Plaza to encourage survivors to get up and moving again.

According to studies by the American Cancer Society, cancer patients who exercised were able to keep their muscles in shape, which made everyday tasks easier. Exercise may also help battle cancer-related fatigue. Physical activity can produce secondary benefits such as improved mood, increased self-confidence, decreased depression and higher levels of physical independence.

With three survivors on the team, the increased activity has those added health benefits. Most of the team said that they weren't as in shape before training for the walk.

"It took me a while to decide and feel like I was physically ready," Miskell said. "Once you decide to, it empowers you."