We were greeted by a huge crowd of friends, family and loved ones who cheered and cheered for us. We cheered and cheered for us too. By the end of the ceremony, I couldn’t barely speak above a whisper.
Various people took the stage to speak. Then they brought in the crew. The walker each removed a single shoe and held them up in a salute to the dedication of the fabulous volunteer crew.
All 300 of them. They fed us. They protected us. They took care of our sore feet and bad backs and weary muscles. They manned the pit stops. They cruised the streets for 12 hours a day, watching over us, cheering us. They slept in tents too. They did all the day to day tasks that made it possible for us to focus on the walk. They were outstanding and we couldn’t have done it without them. We saluted them and cheered for them.
Then the survivors came in, holding hands, and formed a circle on their stage. They raised a flag that said ‘A World Without Breast Cancer”. They raised their hands in victory. The crowd cheered and cheered.
And finally the honor guards came on stage, carrying the banners that we had seen at the Opening Ceremony. This time, as they gathered together, the husbands, wives, and significant others of the honor guards stood with them too. It was quite emotional.
When the ceremony ended, the task of finding Dave and Aaron began. My phone was nearly dead. Aaron was texting me, trying to tell me where they were. Finally it dawned on me – I had just walked 60 miles, they could come find ME!! I sent him a message that I was standing by the crosswalk and that they should come to me.
I waited and watched the crowd. I saw them coming towards me and I ran to them. They both hugged me and I teared up again. Then I stepped back and unfastened my backpack and said I don’t care which one of you takes this but I am done with it. :D
Thankfully the car was, literally, right across the street. I climbed in the back, took off my shoes and settled in for the trip home.
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