A team of 11 dedicated Emory Healthcare nurses participated in Atlanta's 3-Day 60 mile Susan G. Komen Walk, raising more than $26,000 for breast cancer research. The group formed "Team Becky" in memory of former Emory University Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Becky Provine, who passed away last year after a battle with breast cancer.

Team members included:

• Susan Grant, Emory Healthcare Chief Nursing Officer
• Nancye Feistritzer, Emory University Hospital Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services
• Joyce Soule, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital Chief Nursing Officer
• Marilyn Margolis, Emory Johns Creek Hospital interim CEO and Chief Nursing Officer
• Deena Gilland, Emory Clinic Chief Nursing Officer
• Elizabeth Larkins, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital Specialty Director of Critical Care and Emergency Services
• Janice Gentry, Emory University Hospital Medical Nursing Director
• Patricia Crabtree, Unit Director, Emory University Hospital
• Caitlin Motley, Program Manager, Nursing Operations, Emory University Hospital
• Pam Cosper, Critical Care Director, Emory University Hospital
• Marti Wilson, Magnet Project Manager, Emory University Hospital

Also there to support participants was Eileen Stone, Laboratory Information Systems Manager from Emory Saint Joseph’s. A 15-year veteran of the 3-Day Race, Stone worked as a pit crew captain, offering snacks, beverages, medical care, and encouragement to walkers along the route.

The route for Day 1 began at Stone Mountain Park and ended at the Georgia World Congress Center, where many walkers camped out in pink tents for the weekend. Days 2 and 3 began at the Georgia World Congress Center and included a trek all over Atlanta that passed by sites such as Georgia Tech, Georgia State and Emory Village, before finishing with a victory celebration at Turner Field.

Team Becky began endurance training several months ago, and their weekend statistics are impressive: during just one day at the event, one walker logged more than 26 miles, burning 4,500 calories through 55,000-plus steps.

During the three day event, the members of Team Becky endured blisters, swollen feet and muscle and hamstring cramps, along with wearing an exercise pack for eight hours each day. Although tempting, when the event’s Sweep Van drove by on the route offering temporary rides to weary walkers, Team Becky kept walking. “If Becky was here, she wouldn’t ride the van, she would walk and keep going, and we were determined to do the same,” says Larkins, Emory Saint Joseph’s Specialty Director of Critical Care and Emergency Services. “She was an inspiration to all of us. This race was a great opportunity to celebrate Becky and remember her for all of the amazing things she accomplished.”