Donna Slusser, Marilyn Fuller-Smith, Jayne Blake after the Susan G. Komen 3-day 60-mile walk.
After 11 years, Marilyn Fuller-Smith told herself it was time to do something.
Fuller-Smith, 79, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000, but her strong spirit, combined with a lumpectomy and six weeks of grueling radiation treatments, made her a survivor.
“Everything was a blessing, but (treatment) was tough and exhausting,” she recalled.
As the years passed, Fuller-Smith, of Camp Hill, decided it was time to do more.
“Up to 2011, I did nothing to give back,” she said. “Then a girlfriend said to me, ‘Hey, I just signed up for 60 miles. Want to join me?’”
Her friend’s “60 miles” turned out to be a Susan G. Komen 3-Day Challenge, a 60-mile fundraiser walk dedicated to ending breast cancer and raising awareness of the disease. The long walk is completed over three days in certain cities across the United States at varying times throughout the year. Participants raise funds for the cause by attaining sponsoring donors.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s also the second leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women, topped only by lung cancer.
“We trained all summer for this,” Fuller-Smith said. “Throughout the walk, I heard heartrending stories from other people there. Then everyone’s families came at the end, and I saw my daughter sobbing. I was hooked. Then I did another one, and then another.”
In all, Fuller-Smith has completed 34 Komen walks, raising a total of about $115,000 for the cause, she said. To register for each event, walkers are required to raise at least $2,300 in sponsorship donations. Recently, Fuller-Smith has averaged “between $4,000 and $5,000” per walk, raising a total of $7,300 so far this year. In 2024, she received the Pink Ribbon Award for Excellence from the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.
Joining Up
Fuller-Smith also formed a walking group, Boobs Without Borders, with her “besties,” Jayne Blake of Mechanicsburg and Donna Slusser of Dillsburg.
Blake, 65, said that she began doing five-mile Sunday morning walks with Fuller-Smith in 2017 “to lose weight.” Then, in 2018, Fuller-Smith asked her to participate in a day of a three-day, 60-mile Komen walk in Philadelphia.
“I used to run marathons, so this fit my skill set and gave me a purpose,” said Blake, whose husband and parents all have had cancer diagnoses.
Slusser, 65, met Fuller-Smith in 2015 through “mutual friends.” By 2020, she became interested enough in her friend’s Komen walks to ask, “Mind if I join you?”
“I wanted to do it for exercise and for raising funds,” said Slusser, whose relatives “on both sides of the family” have experienced breast cancer. Her mother underwent a mastectomy at 82, and a cousin and aunt also share diagnoses.
From there, the three friends formed the Boobs Without Borders walking group. Their listed mission “is to help end breast cancer in our lifetime by raising funds for research, education and community outreach programs through Susan G. Komen.”
In November, the women will join up next for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day 60-mile walk in San Diego.
Before then, to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Boobs Without Borders will sponsor its first Power of Pink Art Auction on Oct. 5 at Buhrig’s Gathering Place in Mechanicsburg. Proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. The event will feature works by more than 35 local artists, plus refreshments, a raffle and live music. Tickets are available for purchase for $20 at BoobsWithoutBorders.com.
Fuller-Smith’s advice to women fighting breast cancer?
“Accept every offer of help offered to you. Don’t feel uncomfortable accepting help,” she said. “You know you’d do it for them.”
The Power of Pink Art Auction takes place Oct. 5, 2 to 4 p.m., at Buhrig’s Gathering Place, 25 E. Main St., Mechanicsburg. For more information or to donate to Boobs Without Borders, visit www.BoobsWithoutBorders.com.
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