Shawna Constantine

Take a Walk for Breast Cancer Research

2008-08-19T13:40:27Z

The 2008 Walk Across Southeastern CT will be held Saturday, October 4, starting at Saybrook Point and ending at Camp Harkness in Waterford, with every penny raised going directly to breast cancer research. This year you can participate individually in the 26.2-mile marathon walk or on a two-person or five-person relay team, dividing the distance between your team members. Each walker raises funds for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation (TBBCF). TBBCF is a local non-profit group dedicated to providing critical funding to researchers in search of a cure for breast cancer. TBBCF directs 100% of total gross fundraising dollars to research. Since its inception in 2006, TBBCF has raised more than $700,000, translating into seven separate researcher grants. Remember, the more sneakers on the street on October 4, 2008, the more funding for breast cancer research. So join us in funding research to find a cure by participating in the Walk Across Southeastern Connecticut. Registration deadline is September 4, 2008. Register today at www.tbbcf.org.

Funding Breast Cancer Research to Find a Cure – Catch Him if You Can

2008-08-14T12:35:48Z

Eric Bauman had to reach deep when competing at the Olympic Triathlon in New York City on July 20, but thoughts of his late friends, Terri and Tim Brodeur, propelled him forward in the blistering heat. My quads cramped up, and I started thinking, 'I'm not stopping, I'm running through it, and then I started thinking back to Tim and Terri and some of the pain that they went through, and that brings inspiration,' " says Bauman, who raised almost $7,000 for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation (TBBCF) for his triathlon efforts, making him the guy to catch to be the top fund-raiser this year.Bauman, the Executive Director to Finance at Pfizer Inc, has been raising funds for TBBCF since its inception in 2006. In all, he has collected and handed over more than $10,000 to the nonprofit that sends 100 percent of every dollar it collects directly to breast cancer researchers. "I have to be optimistic about a cure," says Bauman, a father of three who makes his home in East Lyme and befriended Tim Brodeur more than a decade ago. "The reason I work at Pfizer is that the work we do helps people's lives," he says. "And the work we can do personally -- donating time and money to help a cause - we have to believe that it will make a difference. And we have to have hope and optimism." And Bauman certainly does. He and Tim Brodeur worked together, and later socialized and met each other's families. When Terri Brodeur died from breast cancer in October 2005, the Baumans were living in England where Eric was working for Pfizer. But he had kept in touch with Tim through calls and e-mails and knew how difficult Terri's death was on Tim.

Bauman didn't participate in the TBBCF Walk Across Southeastern Connecticut, but he competed in the Pfizer Triathlon in 2006 and again in 2007, and raised $2,000 each time for the foundation. This year, Bauman decided to step up the challenge and his fundraising, and will deposit almost $7,000 in TBBCF coffers for his efforts in NYC on July 20: a 1-mile swim in the Hudson River, a 25-mile bike race into the Bronx, and 6.2-mile run up 72nd St. and through Central Park. All on a wicked hot July day. Throughout the grueling times of the triathlon, Bauman kept the Brodeurs in mind and used their challenges to keep him focused and on target. "Tim was someone who definitely put others before himself. He was one of the best people you would ever meet," he says. "So fundraising for me is recognizing the tragedy of how breast cancer took two lives." Tim Brodeur passed away last January. His brother said he never recovered from the loss of his wife. Bauman was inspired to do more for TBBCF after Tim's death. The 41-year-old has always been competitive, so he decided to up the personal challenge with the Olympic Triathlon. "With what happened to Tim, I had the added motivation," he says. And contributors were generous to the cause, particularly those who knew Tim and Terri. "They were just a very special family. A family that was special and caring," Bauman says. And in Bauman's eyes, the TBBCF and the volunteers who run it are equally endearing. He believes the foundation could tip the $1 million mark this year in contributions to breast cancer research. "That's pretty amazing from a handful of people coming together," he says. "It's really spectacular." The challenge now is for others to raise the bar that Bauman has set. Each walk participant or TBBCF contributor has their own reason for supporting the cause. Many have a personal connection to breast cancer, having lost a loved one or suffered the disease themselves. And many others have been touched by the story of Norma Logan, who created the foundation in memory of her new friend Terri Brodeur, just months before Logan succumbed to breast cancer herself. Logan steadfastly believed that every penny raised for the cause should go directly to breast cancer research. A majority of people will support the cause through the Walk Across Southeastern CT, a walking marathon and relay from Old Saybrook to Waterford on October 4, 2008. But others, like Bauman, will raise funds in other ways. The link that binds us all is a commitment to finding a cure. That is motivation enough.To support TBBCF – and perhaps challenge Bauman’s fundraising success – join the Walk Across Southeastern CT. You don’t have to be a tri-athlete to participate. This year there’s an option for everyone with a 26.2-mile marathon walk, a two-person relay (13.1 miles each), and a five-person relay (5-6 miles each). Each walker raises funds for TBBCF. Join the fight! Register at www.tbbcf.org.

Raccoons, Coyotes and Deer! Oh my!

2008-08-14T12:17:45Z

Brushes with wildlife while training for a marathon

A family of raccoons playing on the bank of Alewife Cove. A coyote running down the street of a quiet New London neighborhood. A family of deer eating flowers in a garden on Great Neck Road. No, these aren’t wildlife sightings on a nature walk. These are chance encounters during a marathon training walk on an early summer morning in New London and Waterford. Christine Harrison of Waterford and Pam Beausoleil of New London are training for the Walk Across Southeastern CT, a walking marathon and relay from Old Saybrook to Waterford on Saturday October 4, 2008. Training for this kind of an endurance event requires hours of training walks. Christine and Pam, who work together at US Foodservice in Norwich, rise early to get in their miles before heading off to work. It’s so early, in fact, that they often disturb many nocturnal creatures who haven’t yet retired for the day. “It’s all part of the adventure,” says Harrison who admits she’s not only afraid of these wild animals, but easily startled by even a dog or a squirrel. Nevertheless she’s dedicated to walking and determined to be prepared for the marathon. “So I lace up my sneakers and bury my fears,” she says. “And now it’s so common that we run into our little friends that we are expecting to see them,” says Beausoleil. “Although one day last week we had to take an alternate route to avoid a family of raccoons feasting on a neighbor’s garbage.” Christine walked the 2007 Walk Across Southeastern CT while Pam trained with her but couldn’t participate last year. This year they are training and walking together. Both are avid walkers and have friends who have been affected by breast cancer so they decided to walk for a purpose and hope for a cure. The Walk Across Southeastern CT is presented by the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, a local, non-profit group committed to fighting breast cancer by donating 100% of gross fundraising dollars to research. The full marathon fundraising commitment is $500 per walker, while the two-person relay fundraising commitment is $250 per walker and the five-person relay fundraising commitment is $200 per walker. Join the fight against breast cancer by joining Harrison and Beausoleil at the Walk Across Southeastern CT. There’s still time to begin your training - especially for the relay portion - and perhaps create your own adventure to share. Learn more and register at: www.tbbcf.org. Can’t participate but want to support breast cancer research? Whether you personally know Christine and Pam or you see them pounding the pavement mile after mile through New London and Waterford, support their fundraising efforts for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation. Visit www.tbbcf.org and select “Sponsor a Walker.”