If I told you that I’m walking 60 miles for 3 days to help women with undetected breast cancer find out early enough to survive, would you support me?

What if I told you that right now there are over 1,000,000 women in the United States with undetected breast cancer? Would you sponsor me to help them find out early enough that they survive to watch their friends and family grow up and grow old?

How about if I told you that 70% of those women have absolutely no risk factors for breast cancer. They don’t even know they should be checking. Would you sponsor me to help educate them?

What if I told you that millions of women in the United States do not have access to routine medical care. Would you sponsor me to help save the lives of these medically underserved women?

Here’s my last question: Would you sponsor me if I told you that somewhere in the United States someone’s mother, sister, aunt or very best friend is diagnosed with breast cancer every 3 minutes…and every 13 minutes breast cancer claims another life.

These are staggering facts, with frightening numbers. The good news is that this is a fight that we absolutely can do something about. I am committed to doing everything within my power to help wipe out this disease. That means I’m walking in the Michigan 2002 Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day walk from May 31st to June 2nd - all 60 miles. That means I’ve committed to reaching a personal goal of $2500 in pledges by May 1st. It also means that I’m doing everything I can think of to get the word out that we can win the fight against cancer.

I need your help. You know that fundraising can be challenging – even in the best of times. Many things have changed in our world since September 11th, but the one thing we cannot let these horrific events change is our kindness. We must be kind without reservation. It is what makes us different than those who want to frighten us. Reaching out to help those who will never even know our name is beautiful example of kindness.

I would never ask you to do something that I wouldn’t do myself. I have started my fundraising with a personal pledge of $200. I am asking you to add your pledge to that as I work towards my goal of $2500. The money raised will go towards non-profit breast health programs, state of the art medical research and to provide support for medically underserved women in the United States.

This year there are two ways to pledge. You can go online at www.bethepeople.com and use your debit or credit card. You’ll need to know that I’m walker #2896 in Michigan. The other option is to email me for a donation form, which I will mail to you and you can submit along with your check directly to the cause. None of these funds nor your personal information will ever be seen by me. I do ask that you email me and let me know that you have contributed so that I can keep track of my fundraising totals. Whichever method of donation you choose I hope that you will choose to share this incredible experience with me. There are millions of people out there that need you and your support. If you have any questions at all please feel free to email me.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!


Anya Sanko

anyasanko@comcast.net

PS: Please do me a favor by telling at least five people about this site and asking for their support as well. I appreciate your efforts.