Nurses to walk for a cause and in memory

Published 11:26 pm Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Leetta Stanley and Lisa Patterson became friends after Patterson had a baby at Hamilton Medical Center. Stanley, a nurse in the obstetric unit at the hospital, was one of the nurses who helped take care of Patterson.

“It was strange how it happened,” Stanley said. “Normally I take care of babies, not the mothers.”

Patterson was diagnosed with breast cancer while she was pregnant. Doctors encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy to receive treatment, but she refused, Stanley said.

“She went untreated for nine months to have the baby so she didn’t have to terminate it,” Stanley said. “I’m amazed she loved the baby enough to give up her life.”

Patterson died in August.

Now Stanley and Brandi Smith, also a nurse in the obstetric unit, are walking 60 miles in memory of Patterson in the “Breast Cancer 3-Day” in Atlanta Oct. 20-22. Money raised benefits the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

Stanley and Smith have been holding fundraisers in advance of the walk, such as selling bracelets. They are currently selling raffle tickets for $5 apiece for a baseball autographed by Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and for a laser hair removal from Magnolia Day Spa. They have almost reached their combined goal of $4,400.

While they have the financial side taken care of, neither said they have been seriously training for the walk. The women will walk 20 miles a day for three days.

“I’ll reach that (finish) line and say, ‘Hallelujah, praise the Lord,’” Smith said. She said her training has consisted of walking her dog and “keeping up with the kids.”

Marianne Murry hasn’t been affected by breast cancer. She hasn’t had it. None of her family and friends have had it.

But Murry decided to raise $2,200 and give up a weekend to walk in Atlanta.

“It was something I felt like I was supposed to do,” said Murry, a business analyst for Shaw Industries. “It seems that everyone I talked to, (breast cancer) has invaded someone in their family. It’s affected so many people. It could affect me and it could affect my family or friends.”

Murry has been training full force for the past month after signing up for the walk.

“They say the best training for the walk is to walk,” she said. “So that’s mainly what I’ve been doing. Last week I walked 21 and a half miles. This week my goal is 38.”

When Murry first decided to participate, she wanted to see how far she could walk. She did six miles.

“I did fine, but I was tired,” Murry said. “So I thought I can” walk 60 miles in three days. She plans to walk 18 this Saturday.

“I met a girl who had done this two years in a row. She said the main thing that motivates you is that there are people along the route cheering for you,” Murry said. “If everyone would just get out and get educated then we might be able to do something about (breast cancer) together. That’s probably what will motivate me the most.”

Murry has raised $1,660 so far through donations from family and friends.

“I did not register for it until about three or four weeks ago,” she said. “I did not have time to put together fundraisers. I have sent information to my family and friends. I set my personal goal at $4,000, but I have not had time to go out and pound the pavement like I wanted to.”

Murry said she doesn’t know fully what to expect because she hasn’t walked before. Neither have Smith and Stanley.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Stanley said. “I think we will meet a lot of interesting people. We never know who may be affected (by breast cancer). I wanted to walk to help those not able to do it themselves.”