Jennifer Awrey and her mom at the San Diego 3-Day

The San Diego Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a breathtaking, blistering, sixty-mile spectacular, featuring ocean vistas, a sea of magenta pup tents, bikers in black leather and pink tutus, friends and strangers in tears and embraces, cheering crowds, flying banners. It’s a celebration of diversity, and in 2009, when Jennifer Awrey walked it with her mom, Tina Herford, the event generated a whopping $9.5 million for breast cancer research and outreach.

“The closing ceremony was incredibly powerful,” says Jennifer. “We each had our triumph shirt. Mine was white; mom was in pink with the other survivors. I walked with these great people we’d met along the way, and as we came in, each of us was given a pink rose. There was this outpouring of gratitude. As exhausted as we all were, it meant so much.”

What happened next will break your heart and make your spirit soar. I'm so glad Jennifer shares that moment in Promise Me. One of the many moments that make this book an absolute must read.