Since Cassie Brown became involved with the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer in 2010, she has seen it from almost every angle you can- as a walker, as a B’Rest Stop crew member, as a moto rider, and now, as a breast cancer survivor.

Cassie’s best friend and long time 2-Day crew member, Kerri Beaulieu, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, and Cassie supported Kerri through her diagnosis, treatment and recovery. But in March of 2013, their positions changed when she, too, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Cassie’s diagnosis was stage 3; her cancer tumor was 6 centimeters in diameter.  She began immediate treatment- chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and a final procedure to remove the last of the cancer. When Cassie was diagnosed, she had gone a few years without having a mammogram.  She says, “I let life get in the way and it could have killed me.”

During the 2013 2-Day Walk training season, Cassie was in the midst of treatment, but she still made it out to as many training walks as she could. Even when she couldn’t ride her motorcycle, she still came out to support her fellow 2-Day Walkers and Crew by helping pass out snacks and drinks at training walk B’Rest Stops. “The 2-Day has been like a huge family that got me through my breast cancer treatment” says Cassie. “I feel like the reason I was led to become so involved in the 2-Day was to be able to draw on their love and strength to get me through my breast cancer treatment. They have been invaluable support.”

Another incredible source of comfort and support came to Cassie in the form of the staff at Turning Point Breast Cancer Rehabilitation, one of It’s The Journey’s long time grant recipients. Cassie’s first experience with rehabilitation was disastrous, but when she walked into TurningPoint, she said, “TurningPoint felt like a huge hug. They knew what I had been through, they understood my journey, and they welcomed me.”

The counseling component, Cassie explained, was healing to her in a way she didn’t know she needed. The most important element, said Cassie, was “Being told that all my feelings were normal- it’s the kind of stuff that only those who have had breast cancer can fully understand.”

Cassie is an avid tennis player and loves to ride her motorcycle, so the physical therapy following her treatment was incredibly important to her. “I was favoring sensitive spots on my body and I didn’t even realize it. TurningPoint helped me to focus on those points. It was a huge accomplishment when I was able to lift my arms over my head.” Cassie wanted to get back up on her bike as soon as possible, and through her physical rehabilitation she had the opportunity to teach the people at TurningPoint a thing or two about which muscles are used while motorcycling, a rehabilitation goal they had never encountered before!

Cassie is now happily cancer-free. Her hair is growing back, and she is regaining her full range of motion that was affected when she had lymph nodes removed during her treatment. At the 2013 Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer, Cassie Brown was awarded the first Randi Passoff Spirit Award, celebrating her dedication to the 2-Day Walk and the breast cancer community, as well as her strength and bravery during her own breast cancer treatment and recovery. The Spirit Award comes with the opportunity to allot $2,500 to an It’s The Journey grantee. Cassie’s choice: TurningPoint Rehabilitation Center, the program that gave her mobility, support, and understanding during her difficult recovery.

Cassie is looking forward to the 2014 Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer.  She is excited to get back up on her motorcycle, and to be with her “B.S.F.F.” (Best Survivor Friend Forever), Kerri, and her sister, Tara Webb, also a longtime 2-Day Walk Crew member. More than anything, she is excited to continue to support breast health- a cause that is now, for her, more personal than ever. “I like the fact that all program support stays here in Georgia. Sleeping in a hotel is not bad either,” says Cassie, “I’m a 2-Day lifer.”