Destination: Hope

Christa Heibel’s statement about breast cancer gets to the core of why she and a circle of friends are embarking on an emotional journey — a journey offered by one of the world’s most-trusted charities.

The destination is discovery. The destination is unity. The destination is — hope. Over three days, these women will walk 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.

One of every eight women in America will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The risk has tripled in the last half-century.

While the numbers are staggering, hope is rising with much of the credit due to the Komen entity. No other organization outside of the U.S. government has contributed more money to breast-cancer education and research than the endeavors which have grown from the 1980 death of a young woman named Susan G. Komen.

On Aug. 20, 21 and 22 in the Twin Cities, when thousands of people walk and embrace the Komen mission to “end breast cancer forever,” a team with the moniker “Yog-irls” will be there. The group includes local sisters-in-law Christa Heibel and Cyndi Heibel; Cyndi’s cousin “JJ” Hasbargen and Christa’s aunt Dianna (Bannert) Weum, both of the Twin Cities; and Cyndi’s sister Chrissy Draper of Williams. Borderland components Christa and Cyndi spoke with The Journal recently.

Each of the five women has personal reasons for choosing to endure the emotional and physical struggle of trekking 60 miles in three days. And while Christa and Cyndi say they tend to be “organization freaks” as well as increasingly health-conscious — it’s the stark realization of the disease’s occurrence that drives them.

What unites them is the humanity embodied by the families who donate and share their breast-cancer stories; the encouragement personified by cancer survivors; and the memory of the victims who are gone too soon.

“I’m a 30-year-old female who wasn’t aware of the prevalence,” said Cyndi, who moved to this area six years ago and works from her home as an insurance broker.

“The statistics are mind-blowing. ... I want to help in honor of all of them. If they’re fighting cancer, the least I can do is walk.”

Christa, who works from her home as a director of operations in nonprofit development, agrees. “For us, there’s a real level of respect for what a significant situation this is,” she said. “You really see that when you start raising the money. You see the generosity from people because it has so impacted their life.”

Christa begins to weep as she speaks. “They’re telling you their stories whether they’re giving $10 or $200 — stories of fear and pain and sadness — but triumph too.”

The cost to walk is $2,300 per participant.

“I get what they’re doing,” Christa offers about the Komen program. “They went big with the miles so we could get big with the fundraising.”

Undaunted — the “Yog-irls” have been getting busy getting big with the fundraising.

The fundraising

The “Yog-irls” are fundraising as a group. “One thing, we agreed, is to do this together,” Christa said. A lump sum of $11,500 is required.

Local support for the walk “has been wonderful,” said Cyndi. But the group has yet to hit its goal.

“We were looking for ways without straight donations,” she explained.

Impressively, the “Yog-irls” are working locally with Bob Walls, chairman of the International Falls 16-team, Double Elimination Softball Tournament scheduled for Aug. 13-15 in Kerry Park. All proceeds from the event will go to the Komen walk, and successive tournaments will now be dedicated to a variety of charities, the women said.

During the tournament, the local community can support the fundraiser by buying food from vendors; participating in a skills competition and a 50-50 draw. There will be deejay music Saturday night as well as beer gardens. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

Cyndi and her sister Chrissy raised $2,200 with a Komen-dedicated 5K run in Williams, and continue by selling their handcrafted necklaces and earrings which are available locally at Boise and Rainy River Veterinary Clinic; and in Baudette at the Smiling Moon and Sportsman’s Lodge. The jewelry is also available online at www.the3day.org. At that site, the Komen entity allows participants to post personal information as well as designates access for donations to specific individuals. Online donators are immediately emailed a receipt.

A click also directs donations through the mail. Whether or not monetary goals are achieved, or the walk is executed, all donations still go to the Komen foundation.

Support from their families and their communities — even from strangers — has been very emotional, said the women.

“You really see the great side of people at these times,” Christa said.

The training

On this day, Christa is on her way to retrieve a scooter she just won locally. “I’m gonna need it after this,” she chuckles. She has “run a couple of 10Ks” in the past but admits struggling to find the time for the Komen training schedule which is structured to prepare walkers for about 20 miles each day. Christa and Cyndi have been training by walking on the hiking trail along Highway 11 East near Christa’s home on North Jackfish Bay. Walking that distance can be more challenging than running it, say many athletes.

Sisters Cyndi and Chrissy also completed a Fargo marathon in May, and Cyndi did the Dick Beardsley race in Detroit Lakes.

"I’m not competitive,” said Cyndi. “I do it for the camaraderie, the community and just for my health.” She often walks with her dog, she said.

Several other Borderland women are also involved in the Komen walks.

The journey

During the walk, the “Yog-irls” will be sporting T-shirts in the trademark pink for breast cancer. The shirts will feature the names of several cancer victims encountered in their fundraising, they said. The Twin Cities 3-Day for the Cure begins on Aug. 20 at the Southdale Center in Edina. The walk will close on the state Capitol grounds in St. Paul on Aug. 22.

Asked if there will be other special bonding for the group as they walk, Christa replied with a giggle, “They tell me it has a lot to do with blisters.”

Both expect it to be challenging, having already heard about past participants who needed crutches or couldn’t go all the way. They will sleep in the now-iconic pink tents on the ground, certainly less than comfortable for exerted bodies. “You’re not gonna sleep that well,” notes Christa. “And no matter the weather, you walk.”

Headphones are dissuaded. Stations for rehydrating, massaging and cheering will be available along the way. The only showers to be taken will be aboard trucks, with limited access to electricity for hair dryers, etc.

“It’s very emotionally and physically challenging. You go in expecting to have blisters and be sore,” said Christa. “But friends who’ve done it say everything else outweighs all of that and it is absolutely life-changing.

“It’s amazing the effort that every one of these thousands of walkers puts in. We went to the ‘getting started’ meeting and met walkers who are survivors, and women going through treatment,” she continued. “I’m in a healthy body doing this, you know?

“It’s just humbling. It’s not an ‘about you’ event. It’s about doing something bigger than yourself.”

For more information:

Go to www.the3day.org to designate support for local women walking the Komen 3-Day for the Cure. Online donations for any of the “Yog-irls” can be made at that site. Christa Heibel’s direct Komen website is http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2010/TwinCitiesEvent2010?px=4734594&pg=personal&fr_id=1473.

The risks

According to the United Nations World Health Organization, more than 500,000 people worldwide die from breast cancer every year, and breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide.

More than 2.4 million American women are living with the disease.

The risk increases with age but every woman is at risk since more than 50 percent of its incidence involves no other identifiable risk factor other than age.

The amount of a body’s estrogen exposure, biological and environmental, plays a role in developing the disease.

Environmental estrogens, chemicals foreign to the body that mimic estrogen (which controls the growth of breast cells) are found in what we eat, drink, breathe, and in compounds we use at work, home, and in the garden. So far, 100 chemicals have been found to be estrogenic.

A lack of health insurance increases the risk of dying from breast cancer.

Komen for the Cure states that no single approach to breast health will prove effective around the world. Komen works with local communities and organizations to develop programs for particular groups or culture.

Education is important in detecting and surviving breast cancer: www.komen.org.

Susan G. Komen, gone too soon

Susan Goodman Komen was born Oct. 31, 1943, in Peoria, Ill., and was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33. She died three years later in 1980.

Komen's younger sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker, felt that Susan's outcome might have been better if patients knew more about cancer and its treatment. Remembering a promise to her sister that she would find a way to speed up breast cancer research, Brinker founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 1982, now known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and often referred to simply as Komen.

Since its inception, Komen has raised over $1.5 billion for research, education and health services, making it the largest breast cancer charity in the world. Today, the charity is recognized as the leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer.

Breast cancer victories

Every major advance in the fight against breast cancer has been touched by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. More than 400 breast cancer researchers have been trained, and more than 1,800 research projects have been funded over the past 27 years.

Komen contribution to the victories:

• More early detection: Nearly 75 percent of women over 40 years old now receive regular mammograms, the single most effective tool for detecting breast cancer early (in 1982, less than 30 percent received a clinical exam).

• More hope: The five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is now 98 percent (compared to 74 percent in 1982).

• More research: The federal government now devotes more than $900 million each year to breast cancer research, treatment and prevention (compared to $30 million in 1982).

• More survivors: America’s 2.5 million breast cancers survivors, the largest group of cancer survivors in the U.S., are a living testament to the power of society and science to save lives.