Susan G. Komen "More than Pink" walk

I had the opportunity to attend the Susan G. Komen "More than Pink" walk last weekend, joining thousands of Central Texans in the fight against breast cancer. The event, formerly known as "Race for the Cure", serves multiple purposes: raise funds for research, celebrate the survivors, honor those we've lost, and come together as a community to show compassion for all those affected. Although the sky spit a little rain and the humidity was absolutely ATROCIOUS, the turn-out was incredible!

KXAN was the official media sponsor for the walk, tying it into our 'Simple Health' initiative. We set up a tent, handed out freebies and did some spot training for hands-only CPR. With the help of a local group of certified high schoolers, we were able to train over +30 people -- a big step in our goal of sharing life-saving information.

Learning to do hands-only CPR -- to the beat of "Staying Alive"

Life-saving training for all ages

More information: American Heart Association - Hands-Only CPR traning

One of my favorite parts of attending these events is meeting people in our community. There's no better way to get to know viewers than to get out there, shake hands and have a conversation. (And still being "the new kid on the block", it's more important now than ever.)

One of the more moving parts of the event is a tent specifically designated for those who passed away due to breast cancer. With the words "We Remember" on the entrance of the tent, walkers are able to write sweet messages and names of family/friends who lost their battle with breast cancer. There are signs to stay quiet, soft music playing from the speaker, and ribbons with hand-written messages hanging from the tent's ceiling. An intimate area to reflect... and an important reminder of the urgency of finding a cure.

The "We Remember" tent honoring those who passed away due to breast cancer

Also - two sweet Girl Scouts (Juniors) walked up and gave me this homemade bracelet. I wore it all day!

Top bracelet is a homemade by our local Girl Scout troop

It was so encouraging to see thousands of people dressed in pink and hear the fundraising numbers coming in. (Some individuals were able to raise THOUSANDS of dollars for research!) At one point, the executive director walked over to talk with us and had mentioned they had run out of t-shirts meaning there were over 5,000 people at the event.

With October officially being "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" -- I'm sure we'll be talking more about it in the next few weeks to come. But what a fun, empowering event to kick off such an important cause -- fingers crossed for an invite next year!

​-- KC