Sunday, September 30, 2001

New Sunday Times 
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Polly takes on the,
 world, a step at a time
By Chew Juliane

(Excerpts).....
Does she get lonely, I ask?  Polly says: "No, I'm with people all the time.  People in the communities from town to town come out to walk with me.  The Lions Club has been supporting me since Australia.

"There's a network of people that grows from town to town when they hear I'm coming. I've got friends all over the world, and they tell others to get in touch with me.  I'm rarely alone."

*****

"In the heat, I need to rest the minute I'm done walking until when I start walking the next day.  The heat really takes it right out of me.  I need to sleep 10 hours a night in the heat, in Malaysia.  In temperate climates, probably eight hour is fine.

"So I've learned to say no (to invitations and events), to drink lots of water and eat less.  In this type of heat, I eat lightly.  When you eat a lot, your body spends time digesting food, and I want my body to spend time cooling me down."

To cope with the heat, Polly wears a big hat, slaps on lots of sunscreen and dresses in white.

"In Malaysia, I have been walking faster because I haven't had to push my trolley.  The Lions Club has been taking my trolley for me in a vehicle, so I don't have to push it, which is nice because struggling with the traffic with that pram full of gear has been difficult. Without the extra weight, I can really go faster."

Polly travels with a custom-made pram or trolley that weighs approximately 30kg, designed by Cutter Designs, USA and custom-made by BOB Gear, USA.  In it are a pair of sandals, more than five litres of water per day, a handphone and recharger, hat, sun block, bug spray, sunglasses, first-aid kit, wet weather gear, a pair of shorts, two light cotton pants, five T-shirts, digital camera and recharger, transistor radio, journal, maps, mileage records, expense records, breast cancer brochures and GlobalWalk business cards with website and e-mail addresses.

The Lions Club is Polly's major sponsor.  Polly has close to 30 other sponsors so far, among which are Estee Lauder skincare products, New Balance Australia (walking shoes,) Ericsson Phones, New Zealand mobile phone and Lonely Planet guide books and phrase books.

****

To breast cancer survivors, Polly has this to say, "You're not alone.  The feelings of being frightened--whether you have been surviving it for a month or 10 years--and going through other different emotion, you are not alone in this.  Getting onto the Internet or to other people in the community who have had breast cancer always helps emotionally.  People around every corner of this world have suffered."

"...if you get a lump, make sure your doctor checks it.  If your doctor doesn't want to check it, go to another.  Every lump should be checked, but that is not to say that every lump is breast cancer--80 per cent of lumps are nothing.  But make sure it gets checked; do not accept any answer until it is checked.  And don't be afraid of seeking a second opinion," Polly urges earnestly.

To the men, Polly exhorts:  "Please support you women.  Tell them not to be shy about their breast health.  Say to your wives, mothers and daughters that is nothing to be ashamed of and that it's got to be taken seriously.

"Breast cancer is on the rise in Asia.  So start educating women right now.  Breast cancer awareness campaigns have been going on in the Western world for 15 years.  In that 15 years....the mortality rate has dropped 25 per cent.  The education process is working."

****

The logistics of  the GlobalWalk for Breast Cancer are huge, says Polly.  "But the Lions Club has come to my rescue in huge ways.  For example, I was prepared to camp out almost all the time, and had gone to great lengths to get the greatest camping gear.

"Then the Lions started getting involved--if there was a town 75kms apart, they started shuttling me back and forth.  ...I would walk 30 km, we'd mark my spot, they'd take me home, spend the night, drive me back to that exact spot the next day, I would touch the tree (she laughs), take off again and do another 20km or whatever.  Then the Lions Club in the next town would come and get me, shuttle me back and forth.  So that was taking a lot of communication on a daily basis.

"There's also the logistics of contacting the press, arranging forums on breast cancer and getting the information in each country's language, and trying get me Internet access--that's how I do my work.  I don't have a team behind me, it's just me, so I have to do all the planning ahead and trying to contact the Lions Club in Thailand and India (where Polly is heading next).

I ask Polly how much she's budgeted for this GlobalWalk.

"My original budget was US$500 a month.  I though that was pretty cheap.  And then once I got going and people started helping me with accommodation, food and Internet access, and the shoe sponsors came on board, it dropped to US$300 a month.  

"Then it started dropping to US$100 a month.  And now in Malaysia, I've spent next to nothing because of the people who have stepped forward to help me in any way possible."

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