Susan G. Komen 3-Day kicks off under Space Needle

SEATTLE -- It’s a 60-mile walk over three days making stops across our region, and it’s all to help end breast cancer.

The Susan G. Komen 3 day kicked off at Seattle Center Friday morning.

Sisters Heather and Heidi Jellerson have a strategy when it comes to the Susan G. Komen 3-day.

“We have the number of the sweep van guy on our speed dial, so ..." Heather said with a laugh.

Heidi says they are planning to work smarter not harder when it comes to the 60-mile walk across seven communities.

“We’re gonna do as much as we possibly can. We are looking for all 60! All 60!" she proclaimed.

One in eight women will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Less than 1% of men are impacted, but it is still a reality.

Heather was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

“I found mine really early, amazingly, because I’m not a checker," she said.

She lost a sister to the disease roughly five years ago. But Heather refuses to give in,

“I never ever felt like this was a death sentence or something I need to worry about. I’m a fighter and I knew my outcome from the get go, I didn’t ever waiver from that and I had a lot of people that helped me get there.”

One of those people is her sister Heidi, who traveled from Maine after Heather received her diagnosis.

“It was one of those things where as soon as I knew she was going through surgeries, I said, 'I’ll be there,'” Heidi said. “For me to have the honor of coming out here and walking this with her. She’s a rock, she’s a rock star and she’s so strong, so I’m here.

Strength can only take you so far though, something Heather knows all too well.

“Most of the battle is up here, you know? So you really are alone in your head.”

So it’s events like this, support like that of her sister and her family that give Heather confidence and hope.

“We can make a difference. People are still dying and we’ve got to keep fighting," Carrie Stovall, vice president of events for Susan G. Komen, said.

From her surgery to the end of chemotherapy, Heather's treatment lasted about five months.

She will see a doctor again Monday for her 3-month scan.

There are cheering stations along the route so you can cheer participants on in your community.

Click here to register for Sunday's 20-mile walk or to donate to the cause.