Thursday, April 25, 2002

Bombay Times 
Mumbai, India

Doing the walk of life
By Sharmistha Chatterjee

Her fierce determination and strong sense of purpose is underplayed by her delicate features and frail built.  It is hard to conceive that this forty-year-old lady has been afoot for the last three years in an attempt to traverse the entire breadth of the globe--trip which will conclude in another two years time.  Spreading awareness about breast cancer, Polly Letofsky has already walked from Colorado to the US Pacific coast, the length of new Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India.

  For this Colorado native, walking across the world was a desire she always harboured.  "I wanted to do this ever since I was 12," recalls Polly.  But it only took shape at a later stage in life when Polly found herself surrounded by numerous women suffering from breast cancer.  "I had friends, family, co-workers and community members who were breast cancer patients and this gave me reason to walk--a reason to spread awareness about the disease."

  Embarking on such a marathon was no easy task for her, what with a steady job in the hospitality industry but there really was no stopping her.  "I sold off all my possessions as I didn't intend on returning to Colorado for another five years," says Polly.  While lots of people encouraged her, no one really joined her.  "Everyone agreed it was a big thing.  What appealed to them was the romance of traveling, but I had a very realistic understanding of what this trip entailed," the gritty woman says.  So she began on August 1, 1999.  In the course of her monumental journey, she weathered earthquakes, floods and forest fires.

  According to Polly, while awareness about breast cancer is considerably higher in the US and Australia, the picture is quite grim in the context of Asian countries.  "Most Asian countries I've visited have people hesitant to talk about breast cancer which is worrying for India in particular since the disease has assumed ridiculous proportions here," Polly points out.  Her trip’s highpoint, Polly recalls, was an incident during her walk from Kolkata to Mumbai.  "I met this woman with whom I spent five days, of which for two days she walked with me.  And only on the last day did she tell me that both her breasts had been removed,"  she recollects.

  Polly emphasises the need for proper documentation of breast cancer cases in India, saying that this will help highlight the enormity of the problem.  But what has left an indelible mark on her memory of her Indian leg, she says, is the support she received from various people.  "Ever since the 9/11, everyone is talking about how hostile the world has become, but I disagree."  After meeting with state Governor P C Alexander, Polly will cool her heels on a six-week holiday before she commences her journey to Turkey.

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