My name is Sheila Porter and on October 19, 2004, my sister/best friend, Helen, passed from breast cancer.
We were so close, we even shared the same birthday - just 11 years, 15 minutes apart :) I had to do something to fight this terrible disease so that my sister's 10 year old daughter would never have to worry about breast cancer. A couple of months after she passed, I saw an ad for the inaugural Komen TampaBay 3 Day walk and I knew I had to participate.
Since there was camping involved and I am NOT a camper, I decided to call in my experts and ask someone very special to join me in my tent - Dave Cramer.
Well, his wife, Janice, said NO, but she decided to join me on the walk in honor of her mother, Louise. And we found out that Denise Watson was interested in walking for her favorite aunt, Becky, who also passed from breast cancer.
Another friend from work, Sherry Cochran joined us and then Denise's friend, Marlana Posavec and Janice's niece, Kee Kee Enslen.
So October 2005, there were the six of us, standing in the pouring down rain, crying up a storm from the amazing 3 Day Opening Ceremony and knowing that our lives would never be the same - thus team Thanks for the Mammories was born.
That first year, the six of us raised over $16,000 and the 3Day event raised $5.4 million. Most of our feet were blistered, we were hurting in places we did not know existed and we vowed not to do this ever again.
But then we thought about the money that we raise will fund research for a cure, will allow treatment for someone who can not afford it and will help to educate and possibly prevent breast cancer not only for our family and friends, but for people around the world - and we knew that we had to walk, we had to crew and we had to support until we hear those words "We have found a Cure for Breast Cancer"
Join us on our journey - there can not be a Cure without U
