Tricia's Letter To You & Q&As On Her Three Day Walk

Introduction

If you read Tricia Brown's story about her long fight against cancer with her husband Eddie, you know that she is determined to do something to help fight this disease. Tricia wants to help by walking in the Avon 3-Day Breast Cancer walk.

Tricia will be participating in the New York 3-Day walk. This walk will take place in October and Tricia is already working hard to get ready and be in shape.

Note: Please remember that Tricia's Walker ID number for the walk is: # 3373N.

The Hair Boutique is donating 10% of all profits from the Hair Boutique Marketplace Store from May 1 through May 31st.

Tricia's Letter To You

Below is the letter that Tricia has been sending to possible sponsors for her Avon 3-Day Walk. I hope that it along with a few other things that I have added will be of help and answer any questions that people might have.

Dear Friend,

I want to tell you about a very special cause that not only affects me as a woman but thousands of Americans each year. For many it will affect them directly and others indirectly - whatever the situation it will play a poignant part in an individual's life.

I am writing you today to tell you about the Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day. When I heard about the 3 Day I immediately became interested in taking the challenge. You see even though I do not have breast cancer and didn't really know anyone who had breast cancer, I did know what it felt like to live with a cancer patient.

My husband was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and again in 1998. I knew how it affected our lives and could only imagine the number of women and their families who must suffer and endure with this deadly disease.

It wasn't until after I received my walker handbook that I found out that this year alone, 175,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. More than 42,000 will die.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S., and the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 40 and 55. Both its cause and the means for its cure remain undiscovered. Currently, one million women in the United States have the disease, but don't know it. And they probably won't know about their potentially fatal illness for another five to eight years.

So when my first challenge to raise $1,800 was presented to me - I started to think how was I going to do this. Would anyone be interested in the fact that on the weekend of October 13, 2000, I'll be walking approximately 60 miles from Bear Mountain to Manhattan with more than 2,000 other courageous people to raise money for breast cancer and other diseases that affect women?

Would they want to know that the net proceeds from the event will support non-profit breast health programs in every region of the country, and cutting-edge research on women's diseases at leading academic institutions? That the Avon Products Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, will award grants to these types of organizations?

I am hoping that you are interested and will help me to raise the goal set before me. Would you please consider making a fully tax-deductible pledge to help me meet my goal? I've enclosed a pledge form for you.

Please look the form over and designate the amount that's right for you and send it in before September 1, 2000.

Also enclosed is a post card that I would ask that you return to me so that I can keep a record of my progress.

Please keep in mind how far I'm walking - and how hard I'll have to train for the Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day between now and October. By walking so far I will be doing something big - something that would challenge me as much as breast cancer challenges millions of women in the U.S. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and your time to care!

All my best, Tricia Brown Walker No. 3373N

Questions About Pledging

Question

What is the minimum pledge?

Answer

There is no minimum pledge. However, there is a minimum if you would like to pay your pledge over a period of time. The minimum to pay over a period of time is $25 or higher. These payments can be made by credit card or by check.

If a person wants to pledge $1.00 that is fine. The way I see it is if all you can give is $1.00 then your dollar will make just as much of a difference as someone's $10. There is no minimum and no maximum.

Question

How did I get started?

Answer

Like I stated in my letter, I heard it on the radio and felt that it was something that I had to do. My husband was diagnosed twice with cancer and I know what it feels like to live with a cancer patient. I know how it made me feel to see him hurting just to stand, sit, walk, or lie still.

He was in pain 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The most heart breaking thing was to have him say that he just wished for 5 minutes without pain.

That is very heart wrenching. Here was a 30 year old man who was in the prime of his life now not even able to stand by himself, get in and out of a car by himself. I knew how it felt to think that our lives could be over. That cancer could take him away from me. So when he was told that he was in remission but that we still had to be careful and watch and come in for exams and x-rays - I began to feel so blessed. So when I heard about the Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day - I knew that this was my chance to make a difference.

Question

How far is the walk?

Answer

The walk is about 60 miles give or take a few miles. We will start at Bear Mountain and walk to Manhattan. The actual place where we will end up has not been given to us yet.

Question

Will you train?

Answer

I am training. I have between now and October to train. I must try to achieve 5 miles each month. So by the end of this month, I should be able to walk 5 miles without a problem. Next month, 10 and so on. So by October I should be walking 20 to 25 miles without much difficulty.

The reason why training for me is so important and crucial is because I have knee problems. I have had three surgeries on my right knee and there is talk about surgery for my left. I have had reconstructive and orthoscopic surgeries that make training difficult but not impossible. So when I write for you to please keep in mind how far I will be walking, I would also ask that you keep in mind just how difficult it is for me to do this training.

Question

Where will the money go?

Answer

The money that I raise will go towards the education and research for breast cancer and diseases that affect women. Without donations, sponsors and pledges more women will not be able to be detected in time. There will not be treatment or the hope for a possible cure. It is so amazing that 172,000 women will have breast cancer and not even know it for the next 5 years or more. That 42,000 women will die.

Cancer in itself is expensive. For one x-ray to determine where the cancer was in my husband's body and if it had spread to other areas of his body cost $3,000. That is for 1 x-ray.

So $1,800 doesn't even come close to paying for one x-ray. Without money to do the research to find a cure, more and more women will die.

Question

How can one sponsor a walker?

Answer

How can one sponsor you as a walker? By agreeing to sponsor walkers like myself.

The New York Pledge Forms can be picked up on the Net. To get the proper Pledge Card Form for Tricia click on: New York Pledge Form (PDF)

Pledges can be made in as a single payment in full by check or credit card or on a debit basis. Read the form for details on the payment options. Be sure to add her name to the form as Tricia Brown, Walker ID# 3373N.

Mail your completed Pledge Form to:

Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day % LaSalle Bank 135 South LaSalle Dept. 2009 Chicago, IL 60674-2009 For More Information Call: 888-332-9286

You can also pick up a sponsor pledge forms at the Hair Boutique by sending email to: [email protected].

If you prefer to receive a snail mail form, send a request for a pledge form to:

Ms. Tricia Brown c/o Drew University Alumni/ae House, Rm. 317 36 Madison Avenue Madison, NJ 07940 USA

Hair Boutique Note: After you have submitted your pledge form please send an email to [email protected] so she can track your pledge through the system and send you a thank you.

Question

Who am I asking to help me reach my goal?

Answer

I am asking everyone and anyone. I am asking friends, neighbors, co-workers, doctors, lawyers, anyone who is willing to make a difference.

The hardest part is that many people want to sponsor but are skeptical about sending money to a person that they don't know.

That is the best part. The money does not come directly to me.

You send your check, money order or credit card information directly to Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day. On your pledge form you just need to make sure my walker number is in the upper right hand corner (Tricia Brown - Walker # is 3373N) and that the name of the walker you are sponsoring is on the line directly below that (Tricia Brown).

Once you send in the Pledge form and they will notify me of your pledge and how much closer I am to my goal of $1,800.

Question

When you reach your goal you can stop, right?

Answer

Yes, when I reach my goal I can stop but I'm not.

Like I mentioned before $1,800 doesn't even pay for 1 x-ray. The cost of a chemotherapy session ran anywhere from $2500 to $3000 an infusion.

Radiation treatment that he had to have cost ran almost to $10,000 and we are still waiting for the balance of the bills to come in. So yes, I can stop but I would like to raise $5,000 if I can.

I know that it seems like a high goal to set but why aim low. The sky is the limit and I would only limit myself and the goodness of others if I aimed lower than I expected.

All I ask of anyone is to give from their hearts. What might seem like a lot to you means twice that much to someone on the receiving end.

I'm just asking for you to be like those of us who are walking for this great cause. Not the people who have cancer and are living with it and/or survivors of it because they are the true heroes but to help us who are walking beside the to feel the energy and love in the face of greatness.

Please pledge.!

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