Peggy's path: Beale Airmen walk for cancer research, help raise $7 million

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Zachary Wilson
  • 9th RW Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., (ACCNS) --  By the time you finish reading this article, an American woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Current statistics figure that news gets broken to a woman every three minutes. 

For two Airmen serving on a deployment 6,000 miles away, this statistic became anything but. 

"My Aunt Peggy passed away (from breast cancer) last July," said Staff Sgt. Sarah Gregory, from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs office, who was preparing for a six-month deployment to Afghanistan at the time. "About a week before my Aunt Peggy passed away, my Aunt Lorraine was diagnosed."

Last week, Sergeant Gregory was given the unique opportunity to honor the memory of her aunt while providing hope for her Aunt Lorraine as she joined up with Senior Airman Christine Collier, also of the 9th RW Public Affairs office to walk 40 miles in the 6th annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Research in San Francisco. The two Airmen were joined by more than 3,200 participants, including 290 cancer survivors. The event raised an astonishing $7.5 million -- the most ever raised for the San Francisco version of the walk, according to a press release from the event's sponsor. 

The two co-workers met while deployed as journalists with the American Forces Network detachment at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan from August 2007 to February 2008. At the time, Sergeant Gregory was permanently stationed with the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy. She returned to Italy after her deployment and received orders to Beale. It was at this time she decided she wanted to do something significant. 

"I knew about these (walking) events from my friends so when I found out I was coming to Beale, I went online and put in 'breast cancer walk' and (found it,)" she said.
She immediately called her sponsor, her old battle-buddy from Afghanistan to find out if she wanted to do the event together. 

"I'm involved in other volunteer activities, but never looked into supporting breast cancer," Airman Collier said. "I knew of Sergeant Gregory's situation with her family while we were deployed, so I wanted to support her as much as I could." 

However, the twosome was faced with a task almost as daunting as the 40 hilly miles they set out to conquer. They also needed to raise $1,800 each just to participate in the event. 

Airman Collier remembers her reaction when she first saw this requirement. 

"At first I was intimidated, but once people heard about what I was doing, they were very supportive, both with words and with money," Airman Collier said. Both walkers ended up raising more than the minimum amount, totaling more than $4,200 between them.
All that was left to do was the walk itself. 

Sergeant Gregory thought that since her and Airman Collier were active participants within their organization's workout program, they would be up to the task. 

After a sizable amount of aches and pains, 39 miles and two days later, the two Airmen found that wasn't exactly the case. 

"I thought because I'm fit, walking 39 miles would not be that difficult. After all, we run more than 20 miles a week," Airman Collier said. "But, I found out I was mistaken and I severely underestimated how difficult it was." 

Sergeant Gregory vouched for Airman Collier's assessment. 

"I knew that my feet would hurt, but being physically fit, I assumed that I could handle it," she said. "Halfway through I realized that regardless of how fit you are, you definitely have to train for something like this." 

Now, with the event over and blisters starting to heal, the two Airmen are proud of their achievement but more importantly, humbled. 

Sergeant Gregory reflected on an event before the walk where the event organizers asked the audience to raise their hands if they were impacted by breast cancer. 

"One of the most inspiring parts of the whole trip, what really brought it home, was when they asked everyone in the crowd to raise their hands if they knew someone who had passed away from breast cancer," Sergeant Gregory said with a slight tremble in her voice. "I think everyone there had their hands raised or was currently battling the disease."