An Interview with Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Crew Member – Melissa Rotblatt

I love learning about why people walk and work on the crew for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure^®. It takes such dedication, commitment, and perseverance whether you are a walker or a crew member and each individual has their own story to tell.

Today, we meet 19 year-old Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure Cleveland Crew Member – Melissa Rotblatt.

Hi Melissa, tell us a little bit about yourself .

Hello! I am 19 years old and I am going into my sophomore year at The Ohio State University in Columbus (although I’m originally from Cleveland). I’m majoring in biology (pre-health) and minoring in dance, and I plan to pursue a career in the field of pediatric oncology. In my spare time (what little I have), I love reading, attending concerts at the OSU School of Music, coloring with my 96-count box of Crayola crayons, exploring Columbus, and spending time with my friends.

My mom and I talked about walking the 3-Day for the Cure in 2007 (its first year in Cleveland), but we couldn’t get our act together. One of my favorite high school teachers, Davara Potel, walked that year, and she inspired my mom and I to walk in 2008. We signed up in January of that year, and a month later the mother of a good friend of mine passed away after a 15-year battle with breast cancer. After that, the 3-Day for the Cure wasn’t simply something I wanted to do; it was something I had to do. I had too many friends who had either lost their mothers to breast cancer or whose mothers were currently battling breast cancer, and I just couldn’t sit by and do nothing. My mom and I walked in 2008…and once you participate in a 3-Day for the Cure, you never look back!

I decided to crew this year because I felt that I needed to let my body rest after walking two years in a row. I also was unsure of whether I would be able to make enough time for training and fundraising while trying to navigate my first year of college. My mom and I found that it was more difficult to fundraise the second year we walked; we were asking the same people for money (being from one family), and the economy was rough. However, my dad decided that after two years of cheering, he wanted to walk. My parents have been so lucky in that fundraising was was easier than they had anticipated, and I think they’re excited to have someone (me) set up their tent before they get to Camp on Day 1!

Since this is my first time on the Crew, I’m sure that there are things that the Crew does that I don’t know about; they do so much! Each Crew member has a specific job, but once that job is done, they’re keep going. It’s the little things that they do that always meant the most to me as a walker- cheering me into Camp at the end of the day, carrying my tray for me to the Food Tent, letting me go in front of them in line at the 3-Day for the Cure Store, always smiling, always asking how they could help, no matter what time of the day or what else was going on. I’m really looking forward to being able to repay that favor.

Hmmm…tips for first-time walkers. I guess the biggest thing is to go in with an open mind, because it’s impossible to comprehend the magnitude of the event until you’re there. Talk to everyone, smile at everyone, say “hi” to everyone. Ask questions- ask people why they’re walking; you’ll hear some amazing stories, ones that will keep you going when you think you can’t walk another step.

People on the route will often have candy/popsicles/water for the walkers- take advantage of it! Some of my favorite memories of walking were running through sprinklers in people’s yards or the hoses that fire stations would turn on for us. Drink a lot of water/Gatorade; make sure it’s an even balance. Always carry a pair of extra socks. Bring your own band-aids/Neosporin/moleskin/first-aid scissors, because then you can avoid lines at the medical tents.

Coming from the point-of-view of a teenage walker- don’t look down on the younger walkers. We may be younger, but we’re there for the exact same reasons as everyone else. Though you think we may not understand the horrors of breast cancer, that we don’t know what we’re doing or why, I promise that we do. We have just as much passion and just as much heart as any other walker or Crew member.

My advice to young walkers- just because you are young and strong does not mean that you should not train (or train as hard). Follow the training schedule, because it really does an excellent job of preparing you.

Find your voice and speak out- ask EVERYONE for donations, your teachers, friends, friends’ parents, coaches, spiritual leaders, co-workers, EVERYONE. You never know who will have a connection to breast cancer or cancer in general.

Keep your head up. You may have peers who question you, who mock you, or who downplay the significance of the journey you’re about to embark on. What you are doing is important, it has value both in the immediate future and in the long run, and don’t let ANYONE convince you otherwise.

Talk about the 3-Day for the Cure to whoever will listen. I say this for two reasons: 1. You never know who you might convince to participate, either as a walker or as a Crew member. The bigger the 3-Day for the Cure family, the better! And 2. Breast cancer affects both men and women, and it does not discriminate by age. Know yourself, know your body, know what to look for because you never know when it could save your life.

And last (but certainly not least), don’t be afraid to talk to people. One of the things that I love about the 3-Day for the Cure family is the sense of equality; I’ve had some very interesting and very memorable conversations with adults and younger walkers alike. Be open to learning, be open to growing, be open to life.