Three friends walk for a cure

Dale Howle, Jacquelyn Mixon and Barbara Gore share more than a new-found friendship. They all share life-altering experiences with breast cancer.

Howle, a nurse in outpatient surgery at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center in Hartsville, is a three-time cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, ovarian cancer in 2000 and a reoccurrence of ovarian cancer in 2004.

Mixon, also a nurse at Carolina Pines, has a family history of breast cancer and is not taking a wait-and-see approach but is facing the possibilities head on. She has several aunts who have already been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer.

“It’s fighting back,” Mixon said. “I have a family history of cancer. This is my first walk. I am excited. This is a major accomplishment to be able to attempt something like this and to help others.”

And Barbara Gore lost a best friend to breast cancer.

In October, the three women will participate in the Breast Cancer 3-Day 60-mile journey, an event sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The walk will take place in Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 23-25. The three teamed up for the Atlanta event beginning at last year’s Darlington County Relay for Life.

To walk, each participant must raise $2,300 prior to the event. Two have met their goals, and the other still has a few more dollars to raise in order to meet her goal.

Howle said they have sold t-shirts with “Fight Like a Girl” printed on them, raffled flowers, birdhouses and chairs, held spaghetti dinners and bake sales.

They will have t-shirts for $10 each at the Oct. 3 Good Living Marketplace at Burry Park, and Gore will be having another fundraiser in October at Heritage Bank in McBee where she will have the t-shirts available.

Mixon said by reaching her goal maybe others can reach their goals in the fight against cancer and in finding a cure. She also said she has been a walker but nothing to this extent.

“I’ve never done anything like this,” she said.

Howle said she is making this journey, “Because breast cancer must be challenged.”

This will be a personal challenge for all three.

Howle said she has been walking since January to train for the event. She tries to walk 20 miles on the days she walks.

“I try to do 10 miles in two and a half hours,” she said. “The last 10 miles are hard.”

The women said one of the most difficult things to do has been to find shoes that will hold up and not cause blisters on their feet. So far, blisters have been a part of the training process.

Gore, who works at Progress Energy, will be walking for the third time. She walked last year with her brother, and the two of them raised $5,000.

Although they plan to travel separately to the event, the three women will be staying at the same hotel. Each will have members of their families going along for support.

There are pink tents for participants to stay on the camp site but the three walkers have decided they might need a hot tub to relax their aching feet in at the end of each day.

“I’ve already had some sore feet while practicing,” Howle said.

Mixon said she has been working out in addition to walking, so she hopes that will help her endurance during the three-day walk.

Gore said it is difficult to describe the feeling one gets from walking in one of these events.

“It is awesome,” she said. “I can’t wait to go with these girls.”

“We are friends just walking to encourage each other,” one added.

Anyone wishing to make a contribution may do so at www.The3Day.org.