Throughout the Million Step March, Kathy and Gary are joined by a guest walker from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Tom Robertson, resource/technical manager in Information Services at BCBSNC, joined the walk last week between Fayetteville and Wilmington, and gave us this report from the road:
There are a few things one learns very quickly when beginning a walk on an open country road: Look out for very big, very aggressive dogs; don’t pet the snakes crossing the road, and 18-wheelers can create hurricane force winds.
Oh yes, it is hot and sticky and the sun is relentlessly beating down. As each day becomes a little hotter, a little longer with temperatures reaching 100, we’re marching along, talking about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Everyone we meet along the way looks at us quizzically and asks the same exact question: “What are you doing?”
“Well,” we say, “We’re walking from Asheville to Wilmington.”
“Why on earth would you want to do that?” they ask.
It is then one comes to realize the not so obvious part of the Million Step March. This walk is more than just one foot following another. With each step, one becomes a part of a much larger picture – a picture painted in the shared imagination of Kathy Higgins and Gary Marino, the walking man.
The team of Kathy and Gary imagine a world where everyone is healthier, happier, and feeling better than they did yesterday. They’re walking to prove it. How cool is that?
They don’t ask for money. They don’t ask for anything. Their request is quite simple: Just walk, go as far as you can and then go a little farther. You will feel better, you will probably live longer, you will be happier and you might just hear yourself laughing. I learned that if walking is good, walking with Kathy and Gary is better.
I’m glad my “get up and go” got up and went walking this week, for 40.23 miles (that’s 102,885 steps if you’re keeping track). After all, I won this chance and wasn’t about to waste it wondering why I’m out in the woods walking the five hottest days of the year. This walk is a meditation, a vision of winning a healthier me earned one step at a time. You can win too.
We all can’t walk with Kathy and Gary but you can take them with you when you decide it’s time to go walking. These two have given a new meaning to “walking the walk.” If they can walk 600 miles, I’m sure you can walk one or two or perhaps even 10. It’s so simple.
For today, I’m glad to be walking with them, watching their commitment in real time while strolling down the country roads and picking up the pace to put a little distance between me and the last curious dog. Thank you Kathy, thank you Gary, thanks to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. The Million Step March really matters.
So far, a lot of what we've shown on this site are the big events where hundreds of people show up to be a part of the Million Step March.
This short video is different. Kathy, Gary and a few companions made their way, step by step, through the countryside recently. Videographer Rod Rich captured the moment along N.C. 42 and other roads outside Wilson.
Throughout the Million Step March, Kathy and Gary are joined by a "guest walker" from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Jeanne Ridpath, a purchasing specialist at BCBSNC, joined the walk in Garner and gave us this report from the road:
I am just settling in after an amazing three days of walking with a great group of folks. The experience of walking through my "back yard" of North Carolina was one that I will never forget. I will have such fond memories of our days on the road and I am very grateful for the trusted leadership of Kathy Higgins and Gary Marino.
Being a fairly inexperienced hiker (usually I prefer a nice pool or air conditioned gym, with a treadmill with a built-in TV), I followed the lead of the walkers before me. When Kathy or Gary got up on shoulder of the road, I followed suit because they knew tricks of the road. By the time I met up with them, they were halfway through North Carolina. I went on blind faith that by watching their example, I would be able to make it the full duration of our mapped-out route that day. And I am very proud and humbled that I never had to request the assistance of the infamous "rescue van." I was able to walk the entire designated route, from Garner to Wilson in three days while visiting some employer groups a long the way.
You see, I understand the struggle with obesity and unhealthy lifestyle choices. Over three years ago, I was 245 pounds and smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a day. I knew I had to make some lifestyle changes because my health was becoming progressively worse. The rest of the story is a story of people who believed in me when I was having a hard time believing in myself some days.
I consistently needed the affirmation of the scale and those who loved me and cared to see me succeed in my journey. From the cards of encouragement of my family and friends, to my co-worker who gave me $25 for the first 25 pounds I lost so I would treat myself to clothes that fit! Not only did I have to succeed for myself, but for my co-workers too. I needed to show folks that if I can exercise, eat sensibly and quit smoking one day a time, not only would I be helping myself, but I would prove that yes, it can be done. Not easy some days, but success is achievable if you put one foot in front of the other, literally. Today I am 90 pounds lighter and on May 20, it will be three years since my last cigarette.
I feel that my participation in the Million Step March campaign has brought me back to the basics. Sometimes we get busy and complacent and forget where we've come from and lose sight of of our priorities.
I have gained about 10 pounds in the last year and I’m not too thrilled about it, but this walk has excited me enough to start doing better. By working and walking with Kathy and Gary, I am once again focused on what I need to be doing with to get myself back on track. If you haven't had a chance to walk with the team, I encourage you to sign up and log your steps at www.betterhealthnc.com. You will be amazed about how much better you will feel and how much more energy you will have!
We are walking east now in places like Garner and Clayton, but commuting back and forth to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill for events. The good news is that Kathy Higgins and I hit the 350-mile mark this week, and on a personal note I weighed in at 20 pounds less today.
What
is the bad news? We'll there's really no bad news, except that the beautiful,
scenic mountains that surrounded us during the early weeks of the Million Step
March have been replaced by scenes of Belk, Verizon, Williams-Sonoma and Dairy
Queen stores. Do we really need to see strip malls, specialty stores and BBQ
restaurants? Well, maybe the BBQ places!
The best news is
that the area stops we've made (and will continue to make for a few more days)
have been some of the best of the campaign. "The March" is in full
swing now and it's clear that we are connecting with many, many people.
Following
the halfway point "Rally
in Raleigh,"
we made stops at places like Structure House, a live-in facility for morbidly
obese people in Durham. It was a chance to take my personal message and the
message of the Million Step March directly to people who struggle with weight
and the staff who treats them. We also did some stops at various Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of North Carolina locations where they cheered on one of their own
– the simply unstoppable Kathy Higgins.
At WakeMed Hospital
just today, I walked into a standing ovation and one of the sweetest crowds
yet. Not bad when you haven't even said anything, right? Our group walks at all
of our event stops have been a big hit as well. Dr. Don Bradley, who has been
walking with us for over three weeks now, has been actually leading these walks
– Kathy and I are saving our energy for the road.
We'll have video highlights of many of our stops very
shortly. In the meantime keep your own health goals going, and keep on marching!
