Monday, August 6, 2001
Newsday Today
MediaCorp Press
New York, NY
Story by Serena Sims
Mission with a vision...
A woman with an amazing mission will arrive in Singapore this evening. American Polly Letofsky, 39, wants to complete a four-year, 18,000-mile journey around the world on foot.
She will be starting her Asian leg from Singapore, as she goes into the third year of her global walking tour.
Her main reason for doing this is to make people more aware of breast cancer.
What surprises most people is that she is not a breast cancer victim, although she has a few friends who are, and an aunt who died from the disease.
What was it that drove her to embark on such an ambitious journey? She explains in her website: “It was at the age of 12 when I first got the idea of walking around the world. I always wanted to see what was on the next block or over the next hill.
“Although I thought about that childhood dream for years, it wasn’t until my 30s that I got real serious about pursuing it.
“Walking around the world is a mental, emotional and physical challenge.
“It’s a learning experience with classes in geography, foreign language, anthropology, math, speech, health, nutrition, cooking, history, computers, even anatomy!”
“It was also important for me dedicate this walk towards a women’s health issue—thus the breast cancer effort.
All sponsorships and fund raising proceeds go towards breast cancer support organizations in the respective countries she travels in.
Ms Letofsky is allotted 10 per cent by the Breast Cancer Fund in San Francisco to cover the costs of her trip, but she tries not to take it.
Instead, she depends on her own savings and sponsors’ donation in kind, including shoes, energy bars and hiking equipment.
Through sheer determination, she has worked towards fulfilling her childhood dream.
“I don’t get any money for doing this. It took me years and lots of work to get all my bills paid and get a small next egg together. I chose to spend the next four years of my life on this mission—thus I’m unemployed.”
For a week, she will get acquainted with the Asian culture while raising funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation.
On Saturday, she will begin her journey from Sentosa and walk her way across the causeway to Malaysia.
From there, she will make her way to Chiang Rai in Thailand.
A woman walking alone will draw attention in many parts of the world, but Ms Letofsky takes it all in her stride.
“There are moments when I’ll get scared, for example, when a creepy bunch of drunk people in a car drive by and yell, or when it’s getting dark and there are still a few miles to go.
“But every single day that goes by, I gain a little more confidence and my comfort zone is stretched a little further.”
It’s a wonder she has persisted for two years. Since starting her journey from her hometown of Vail, Colorado in August 1999, Ms Letofsky has stayed focused and never faltered.
Is she continually motivated by the gratification of fulfilling a childhood dream, or the desire of helping people, or simply the joys of traveling?
Perhaps it is the support and response she has received.
For, whatever the case may be, there is no denying that her actions have inspired all those whose paths she has crossed during her journey.
The large number of entries in her website’s guest book is testimony to her success.
A note from Australian Warren Sparke sums up the sentiments of all the lives she has touched:
“Polly walked through our cane fields yesterday and it touched me deeply to see somebody following (her) dream. I only wish we had more Polly’s in the world.”
More information on Polly Letofsky’s mission can be found at www.globalwalk.org.
We’ll be interviewing Polly on Tuesday. If you have any questions for her, e-mail us.