There really are no words that can sum up this:

And that’s just a shot. All in all 12,000 participants put on their pink bras in celebration of life.

And Team Judy was there all 3.1, pink-filled miles. Except, of course, we donned our orange, Team Judy’s signature color. You really couldn’t miss us sprinkled amongst the massive crowd.

My co-worker (and former 5th grade teacher, gasp!) Mr. Lemery came out to photograph the race for us and although we couldn’t get everyone together all at once, here are two pictures that most of Team Judy are in.

After forming Team Judy for the Miles for Moffitt 5k just a month after her passing, I didn’t think that this would affect me as much as it did. Moffitt was geared at raising awareness for all cancers. Strides was all about Breast Cancer. It was in your face everywhere you looked. Shirts that said “In memory of”, people currently fighting, women who have had mastectomies, men who’ve lost their wives, children like me who were walking “for their mom”, men who were diagnosed and didn’t even know they could get breast cancer, teams who hadn’t been affected by breast cancer, but were walking anyway, and of course the survivors, which hit me the hardest. I know it’s selfish for me to always think these thoughts, but I wish my mom would have been able to call herself a survivor. I always look at these people- young, old, from all walks of life, different races, cultures, levels of health and think why them, and not my mom? It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s a fact I face everyday. I tried to hold back the tears on more than one occasion while we were waiting for the race to start, but it wasn’t easy. I didn’t make a big deal about it, because, after all, this race wasn’t about me. I know I didn’t fool Mr. KKM, nor did I fool my friend Lindsey because she put her hand on my shoulder, even though I know I was probably smiling or cracking a joke at the time. Darn her intuition! 😉

All in all it was an amazing day filled with the spirit that is the cure. We all want it, and we’re doing what it takes to bring breast cancer awareness to the forefront so that our children won’t ever have to worry about it. We came together to show that we will never forget our loved ones and I know that those who are no longer with us were walking along Bayshore Boulevard, in the beautiful sunshine, right beside us. Here are some more highlights.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated, participated, and helped prep for this race! I appreciate you more than you know! It was an amazing weekend filled with fundraising and love all around! Until next year! 😀

Steph

PS- Stay tuned for a BIG announcement! Team Judy will be at it again very soon! 🙂

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