The last week has been full of fun, tears, laughter, more tears, support, love, walking and medical tents!
My week started with being admitted into the hospital because the doctors found 2 new lesions in my spinal cord. At one point on Wednesday afternoon, I wasn't sure that I would make it to the walk, but God prevailed and I made it!
Thursday evening before the walk, right after I got discharged form the hospital, the team all made their way over to Carrie's house to 'Shave It' with Michele! It was so fun to get together as a team to support Michele as she shaved her head to raise money for the walk!
Michele has been preparing for the shave and so had some fun dying her hair... but the time came... I was up and had the privilege and honor to make the first cut! I went straight in for the kill and did a cool, super fashionable side cut!
I had fun with the clippers! As did everyone else!
Once we were done... we looked like twins!!
So did Michele and Nate!
It was time for everyone to head home and get ready for our VERY early morning... we had to get up at 4am and head into Seattle for the opening ceremony at 6am!
The Opening Ceremony was extremely emotional. I had been chosen to hold the 'Hope' Flag, which was quite an honor! I was still walking with my walking frame but managed the task whilst holding back tears!
The ceremony was done and it was time to start the walk... so, we took our last photos with family and friends headed out!
And then stopped for a quick coffee... with the AMAZING Seattle Police Dept! There were 4 wonderful officers who has volunteered to police the route all weekend... all dressed up! We made friends with them and they joined us for alot of the walk! We had so much fun talking to them and getting to know them... it was such a honor to have them by our side!
Along the walk so many people set up super fun things for us to do... one of them being 'English Tea'! How fun was that!!! We all put on our flash hats, picked up our tea cups, lifted our pinkies and posed for the camera!
There were Check Points and Break Stations spread out along the way so that we could rest, eat, stretch, relax and get medical help if we needed it. There were so many fun things to do at the rest stops! We certainly made the most of those stops!
There were lots of friends came out and joined us along the route too... It was so fun to see Jason's old boss and his beautiful children come say Hi!
My team were just wonderful... they pushed and pushed and never once complained about the hills, the bumps, the tree roots... my team are the best!
Kayle and Jason came out to hang out for a bit too... it was nice to have Kayle with me for a bit because we were all really missing each other!
LUNCH TIME.... yum... at this point Jason came and picked me up and took me for my daily dose of Radiation.... but, that only took us an hour or so and then we were back on the walk!
Throughout the whole walk, God truly protected us... while I was at treatment, the team kept walking... when I got back, they told me that the path was extremely difficult and included steps and bumps and we would have had trouble with the wheelchair.
God is so good! He knew and protected me!
The end was nearing of Day One and we were the last walkers... if you are last, there is a member of staff at the end following you to radio back to control and keep a check on you... that member of staff was called MEGAN! Megan became one of our team... we love Megan! She walked in with us as we were the last ones... and boy, was that emotional!
I walked into camp... with my amazing team at my side and was given the honor of raising the Day One flag!
The tears flowed, and not just from us... everyone was crying, shedding tears at the huge achievement!
The Faithful Fighters successfully completed Day One... 23 miles! Only 2 more days and another 37 miles to go!
We all headed to grab our gear and set up our tents, but some friends had already done it... again, showing us the amazing love and support that this walk provided! The staff at the camp gave us anything and everything we needed and then some more...
We all took nice long, hot showers after dinner and headed to bed so that we were ready for what Day 2 held.
And so... Day 2 began... we were all up nice and early, had breakfast, packed our rain coats and headed out.
Day 2 greeted us with a fun obstacle! A forest trial.... up hill! Again, my team came to the rescue and tried to push me, but the tree roots made it extremely difficult... so... we walked!
They held me up, held my hand, supported me when I almost fell, and just loved on me! Did I already tell you that I have the BEST TEAM... my spectacular friends and family!
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We made it to the top... and down the other side and then up another hill... but it was amazing to walk... it felt good to walk! My legs have been numb and tingly for a week and so walking felt good, and it really helped!
We were all ready for rain.... and all we got was truly blessed by sunshine! The raincoats came off and the sunglasses came out, and so did more wonderful friends! Bobbi popped along for a while to say hi and walk a little! We love Bobbi!
Who else came out?? Only my bestest 'Medical Assistant' and buddy Sarah! Sarah really wanted to walk with us on our team but she gave birth to a precious little guy a few months ago and so couldn't leave him for the whole weekend, so we arranged it so that she would be my 'Medical Assistant' and so could come and walk as and when she was able. So, she met us at lunch on Day 2 and hung out till the and of the day! It was so fun having her with us!
Our lunch break on day 2 also bought some medical attention... my teams' feet were starting to hurt, we had some blisters and sweet Mandy has some problems with her arches in her feet... but, after the appropriate bandages and tape, we were ready to hit the walk again!
And on that walk... we found more rest stops and break stations and so more fun photo opportunities!
Jason came down again for a quick visit and to drop off Sue so that she could walk with us and push a little... it was nice to have her there for 5 miles!
Along the whole walk, we were snapping photos... and had serious fun doing so!
There are a group of men... biker men... big, butch biker men, who line the route and watch over us at big intersections, press traffic crossing buttons, stop cars and generally look after us... well, this amazing fella is called Sam! Sam reminded me of my fabulous dad! He was super fun and we got to know him really well on the walk. After 3 days of him constantly looking after us, he became quite emotional when he saw us! We Love Sam!
There were lots of these guys and we really got to love them on the walk... and they us! I think we may have been their favorites! ; )
Another 20 miles was not going to stop some family traditions... Sweet Michele and her hubby are Zoka Coffee fans... so when Michele found a Zoka Coffee in Kirkland, she had to honor the family tradition and grab a coffee!
'Selfies' became a regular thing too! We LOVE selfies!
Our day 2 ended with our families meeting us at the camp so we could hang out and have a cuddle... So many of our amazing family and friends came to say hi... it was wonderful!
Day 2 was over... time was flying by! But we were all hanging in there and excited for Day 3!
Day 3 greeted us with a cold wind and the guaranteed forecast of rain, so again, we packed up our rain coats, ponchos, changes of socks and hit to road.... on a Big yellow school Bus! I have never been a a school bus, so that was another 'first' for me! So exciting!
We were up and wide awake - ish, at 5am so that we could get breakfast, get our stuff packed, our tents taken down and get on the bus back to Seattle!
We got ready, wrapped up warm, said 'Good Morning' to Megan and jumped on the bus!
Our bus driver was hilarious... she was this cute little old lady who had no idea where she was going. Made our adventure way more fun! hehe! Jesi sat up front with me and we tried to direct her, but we ended up missing our turning and had to go and turn around!
Once we finally made it off the bus, we were greeted with more steps... remember those Police Officers I told you about? Well, they were there to offer me any help I may have needed! They even offered to carry me and my chair, but no, we were not going to walk 44 miles just to get help... my team were on it and carried my chair and helped me... one step at a time, we made it over the bridge and over to the trail!
The trail took us back to my hospital.... but I was not planning on going in... we turned and headed into the University of Washington Campus!
And the Police came with us! They rode long side us for ages, just hanging out and chatting! They were so fun!
Along with the amazing buildings at the University Campus came.... the rain! We all took 5 minutes and put on our rain caost and ponchos and covered up so that we could keep walking.
The rain came... and came... and didn't stop for a while. But we were ready with our ponchos!
We continued to walk despite the rain and my team continued to push me despite the wind, rain and cold. We made it to Gas Works Park in Seattle... a place I have wanted to visit for along time! As you can see, we were last again and Megan was riding alongside us!
Our walk then took us along the Lake and the wind seriously picked up. At one point, we had to cross a bridge and I seriously thought I was going to get blown out of my chair, until.... a caring woman from Texas gave me her umbrella to shield me from the rain! She got absolutely soaking wet, but sacrificed for me! What love! Grateful doesn't begin to explain how I felt!
These are the amazing women who gave me the umbrella! Soaking wet and a beaming smile!
The rain continued for about 2 or so hours and by the time we got to lunch we were all wet and cold. I had a number of dry clothes in my wheelchair bag so when we got to our lunch stop, we went straight to the medical tent for some help because I was cold and wet.
The medical staff in the tent were amazing... as they had been the whole time! They allowed me and the team to hangout, get dry, change socks, jackets, eat lunch and rest a little!
My team were right there for me... they helped me change my socks, wrap up in a nice warm wool blanket, then a mylar silver blanket, then a poncho, then a rain coat, and another poncho so that I was dry! I did tell you that I have the BEST TEAM right??
Along with the rain came another Gift from God... this amazing rainbow! It literally lasted about 45 minutes and seemed to follow us as we walked! This rainbow just reminded that God was right there with us as we walked!
Once we walked a little more, we headed into a residential area and found this!!! Some of Jesi's friends has made us a sign and put it out for us to find... so fun... thank you!
We continued to walk... and made it to Ballard Locks... love that place!
Another 'Selfie' at the docks! do you see? No ponchos! The rain stopped for us and the sun came out! yay!
The sun continued to shine for the rest of the day!
As we continued our walk, we met up with our favorite Biker Men again... they had become quite attached to our team and so asked if they could push my chair up a big hill! It was very emotional to see these big burly men asking to push me! They were emotional too!
Nearly at the end of the walk now... we came across this wounder 'Pair Tree'!!
Almost to the end of the walk now and we found another friend who wanted to have a push of the chair... This is Michael! He was our wonder dancing Biker Man! Every time we saw him, he was getting down and grooving... so, we did the same and danced with him!
I know the team were grateful for the take over of pushing... they were getting tired! What do you expect after almost 60 miles!
But, at the top of the hill... was the end! We had made it... we had walked (and rolled) 60 miles! It was time to get my butt out of the chair and walk a little!
Emotions flowed... as you can tell!
We were greeted by walkers who has finished already, but about 20 police officers, by goodness knows how many members of staff, by volunteers, by helpers, by medical staff... you name it, people were screaming and cheering us!
Once we made it inside the building, it was time to take stock of our adventure... and more tears flowed! The lady in red in this photo was the Medical Team lady who looked after me! She came and found me so that she could give me a hug and tell me that she loved me and that I inspired her and that she is completing the walk soon and would put my name on her inspiration hat!
We got our 'Finish shorts' and took a little break before the Closing Ceremony...
This wonderful lady is Bre! Bre started out as a friend of a friend, but now a very dear friend of mine! She is a photographer... she took photos of Kayle and I last year when my cancer spread! Those photos are absolutely precious to me!
She has also volunteered to take MORE photos of me and Kayle for her birthday! She is one of the most caring, generous ladies I know and I Thank God for bringing her into my life!
These young ladies came a searched me out... they wanted a photo with me! They were ready to give up walking yesterday but had seen me and the Faithful Fighters and decided to carry on and wanted to thank me! This was just one example of that happening... there were people, numerous people, every day thanking me!
I LOVE MY CANCER... weird I know... but without it, I would not have experienced this love! Without my cancer, I wouldn't have got to share so much with these complete strangers... Without my cancer, I wouldn't have got to share the amazing Love of God with these people!
I could not do any of this without my All Powerful God! He sustains me!
The Faithful Fighters were tired... had sore feet... sore legs... but there was one more fun thing to do... we need to hit the dance party Closing Ceremony!
And we did! Jesi and I headed out a little bit before the rest of the team because I needed to get to the stage but the rest of the team followed closely behind!
We danced... or at least the team did and I tried! I have to be very careful of my spine, so it was a lot of gentle arm movements for me, but I had the best time watching the walkers dance and cheer and we got down and boogied!
This whole experienced has blessed me beyond words and I am going to spend some serious time thanking God for all that He did for me and my team!
Recognize this fella? It's Michael, my dancing biker buddy!
Well, Michael came and found me... he has a pink pig... that pig has been on a ton of these walks and he wanted me to look after Poky Pig and bring her back next year so she could continue her journey... so... with God's will, I will bring her back next year!
That's it... the walk was over... we were done! It was a little upsetting that it was over, but I was glad to be with Jason and Kayle and it was time to grab our bags and head home... oh, and give Megan one last huge hug. Megan told us that she 'Doesn't do hugs' and so this made this photo even more fun! We gave Megan a Faithful Fighters shirt and said our goodbyes! Bitter sweet goodbyes!
This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I will never ever forget the people I met, the support and love I received, and I will never forget what my team did for me...
Faithful Fighters... you are the BEST and I love you all with my whole heart and thank God for you all!
