You've Followed my Journey so now I hope you will Support it

On September 5-7, 2008 I'll be participating in a very special event called The Weekend to End Breast Cancer.
I'll walk 60 kilometres over the course of one weekend with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, treatment, and services through the Princess Margaret Hospital, the very same hospital where I receive my treatment.
I've agreed to raise at least $2000, but I've set my personal goal at $3200 (UPDATE - since the time of registering and posting this blog which was this morning, my girlfriend Kelly has now joined my team to walk with me and made fun of my personal goal; she set hers to $5000 and so now I've had to change mine as to not be upstaged; I'm just waiting for Carm to come right over the top of both of us!). So I need your help. Use the link at the bottom of this, and please go visit my site - and please take the time to support me. Keep in mind how far I'm walking - and how hard I'll have to train too! ;p
According to the National Cancer Institute of Canada, approximately 20,500 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and about 5,400 will die from the disease. That's why I'm walking. That statistic is also why I'm already starting my fund-raising efforts a year in advance as it's very important for me to keep setting those long distance goals all throughout my life. Here is the first one since diagnosis. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts.
Thank you in advance for your support and if any of you dare to do this with me, you can join my team "Kelly's Journey" and you can start your own fundraising efforts and walk alongside me during what is guaranteed to be an emotional yet uplifting and truly rewarding experience.
I understand some views on this walk; some people feel very strongly against the mandatory fundraising amount. You see, in order to walk in this event, you must raise a minimum of $2,000. I can see the argument for some that it is unfair to put a dollar amount on fundraising efforts and to stop people from participating as they aren't able to picture themselves raising that amount, but I'm sorry, I can completely understand why there is a minimum and I am so grateful there is. If walkers just walked for the spirit of it, that is a wonderful sentiment, however how much money would be raised if you had no specific goal? Would they have had raised 17 million last year (and the millions and millions all the years before that) without that minimum? Princess Margaret -and please trust that I of all people can attest to this- has the facilities and programs that other hospitals just don't have the funds to offer, hence the reason I travel downtown to get treated there. They have a section of the hospital next to the breast clinic WEBC Survivorship Centre that conducts support programs, information sessions, exercise classes, support, information, etc, etc, etc. This is made possible only because of the funds raised during this annual event. Those initials stand for Weekend to End Breast Cancer.
100% of all donations go directly to Princess Margaret. Proceeds from the event are invested in leading-edge breast cancer research, prevention and screening programs, as well as education, care and other critical breast cancer initiatives. In addition, The Princess Margaret pays for the costs of the event, most of which come from resources right here in Toronto.

So I do support the idea of a $2k minimum as it directly supports me and what I am going through and what I will continue to go through so even though raising the $2k may inhibit you from wanting to walk beside me, I do hope that it won't hinder your ability to help me through a donation for me to walk and support this initiative.

My team name is Kelly's Journey and you can visit http://www.endcancer.ca/ for more information as well as search for a participant to find me or go directly to either my site or my team site at the following links:

To make a donation to my walk, go to:
http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Toronto2008?px=2411404&pg=personal&fr_id=1254

To join my team, go to:
http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Toronto2008?team_id=56176&pg=team&fr_id=1254