Courtesy Photo It was a sea of pink in Washington earlier this month for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure 3-Day 60-Mile Walk. Among the walkers was local Team Hope.

At that time, there were eight team members, several of whom were cancer survivors, dedicating their time and energy to raise funds and to attempt this grueling walk. Hearing their stories and seeing their dedication and willingness to help one another inspired me to join the team in 2009, and I was not the only one -- the team I was to work with and walk with had doubled.

The fundraising came easier than I thought. When someone hears you are going to walk 60 miles for a great cause, they donate. My reasons for joining the fight against breast cancer are pretty simple. I don't want my daughter to ever have to go through what her grandmother, a 22-year survivor, did. I have several friends who are also survivors, and I want one day to have everyone's story be that of survival and not of sacrifice to this cancer.

Participating in the walk this year was a personal triumph for me. I am not a walker or a runner. I was amazed at how much I could push my body, only proving to myself that the mind and spirit aren't easily broken even when the body wants to give up. The event was held in beautiful Washington, D.C., but the real beauty I witnessed was the evident compassion that all participants, women and men alike, showed to one other, which will last a lifetime. The walk was a life-changing, amazing experience for me, and I encourage everyone to do it at least once -- you will never regret it.