Our Mission
The Pink Boat has partnered with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in the pursuit
to prevent and cure breast cancer and help saves the lives of hundereds of thousands
of women each year through sailing.
Our Goal
It is The Pink Boat's first goal is to raise $1 million for The Breast Cancer Research
Foundation. Further, it is our hope this victory will spill over and help in the
prevention and cure of other forms of cancer.
The most common question I receive is, "Why breast cancer?"
I am asked this question every day in one form or another:
- How did you get started in this?
- What motivates you to do this?
- What is your personal connection?
- Why breast cancer?
I tell everyone the truth, the details of how this seed of hope, that I might make
a difference in this world, was started. Some people don't like it. Some people
are even offended. Those who expect my having had a loved one die from this disease
have even been disappointed.
So why I am writing this now, finally? I recently met with a survivors group (an
awesome group of ladies who paddle a pink polka-dot dragon boat!) who asked me again,
why? I gave them the same details. I was later told by a friend that I needed to
‘work on my story’ and that ‘women want to hear about more estrogen in the story’.
Later during another casual conversation with a friend before being introduced to
a big breast cancer-supporting celebrity, I was advised, again, to ‘work on my story’
in order to cater to what one might want to hear and was even flippantly encouraged
to ‘give me breast cancer if you like’ in order to make it more appealing.
Recently, I sailed through the worst wind storm in recent history along the California
coast. I tasted the hell and life-threatening seas I will endure while circling
around Antarctica in pursuit of this idea and I asked myself: why? Why would I abuse
myself like this for a year?
A
phone call came the very same night from a real friend, someone I love dearly, to
tell me her mom just found out that she has breast cancer.
Why
I chose to fight breast cancer is because I don't want anyone to get that phone call.
I am risking my life to help make a difference for as many people as I can, for
the idea that we can love and have compassion for people for no other reason than
in and of itself. The idea that you don't have to lose your mother to breast cancer.
That your sister doesn't die and leave behind your infant niece, nephew and a devastated
husband. That your daughter doesn't spend a year of her life wishing she was dead
instead of enduring chemo. I am fighting for each one of you, because this disease affects
us all.
There is so much each of us can do to positively affect and beat this disease,
this is my way. I am inspired by the courage of the hundreds of thousands of
women who bravely battle this disease and I devote this sail to them.
-Thomas