By the time I reached the top of Munjoy Hill in Portland, it was not climbing the steep incline that took my breath away, but the sea of pink stretching along Congress Street all the way back to Monument Square. 

Sunday was the 11^th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, and I walked the three-mile course along with my mother Diane Bouthillette, my aunts Pat Binette and Claudette Croteau, cousin Meghan Croteau and nearly 2,500 other participants. Besides staying warm and completing the walk, we all had the same goal of raising money for the American Cancer Society and breast cancer research.

Nearly a quarter of a million Americans – women and men – will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and my cousin Jan Barsophy was one of the many to hear the devastating words, “You have breast cancer.” My connections with breast cancer does not stop there — one of my professors at the University of New England was diagnosed in 2007, a former boss is a survivor, and my grandmother on my dad’s side died from breast cancer when I was 2 years old. 

When a press release for Making Strides appeared in my inbox back in August, I knew I wanted to walk, raise some money and get my family involved too. As the leader of my team, I deemed my quintet the “Croteau Crusaders” (Croteau being my mother’s maiden name) and we kept up our pace at the front of the pack as we walked up the hill, down the other side and around to the Eastern Promenade. 

Most everybody donned something pink, whether it was a head to toe outfit, hat, scarf, pin or the walk T-shirt with the slogan “Hope Begins with Us.” Many participants wore pink survivor sashes over their pink gear, surrounded by family and friends supporting them. Along the route, people shared their stories and connections with breast cancer. 

The pink shirt I wore was from volunteering when the Susan G. Komen for the Cure tour bus came to the University of New England’s Westbrook Campus in April. I explained to my family how the bus was equipped with computers that people could sit at and learn about breast cancer and how to do self-breast exams. Since mammograms are recommended annually for women older than 40, performing monthly self-exams at every age could be the best way to catch an early diagnosis. 

While there were many ambitious teams raising thousands of dollars each, the “Croteau Crusaders” contributed $250 to the more than $275,000 raised by the walkers in Portland. With two other walks occurring in Brunswick and Damariscotta, Mainers raised a total of $437,000, according to the Maine office of the American Cancer Society.

With October being designated as “Breast Cancer Awareness” month, the disease is spotlighted in the media and Making Strides is one of many events that occur to raise awareness and funds. Money raised from Making Strides is designated to the American Cancer Society’s groundbreaking research, free education about breast cancer, reliable resources for those diagnosed and a variety of support programs. 

The walk took us through Portland in a little over an hour, and in the end the “Croteau Crusaders” did not break any fundraising records or walking times, but we did feel that our small contribution was just one more step toward a cure. 

— Emma Bouthillette