“I’ve enjoyed every single day,” she said of her journey across four continents that began August 1999 in Vail, CO. “This is a happy victory lap. … My prize for surviving India. I’m rediscovering Minnesota - my home country.” 

World travel by foot had intrigued Letofsky since the age of 12. “There’s so much to see beyond my home state,” she remembers reasoning. The seed was planted, yet seemed far-fetched, a fantasy. She pushed herself to travel, venturing out on her own. 

Then, as she began to see how breast cancer affected the lives of women, she determined she’d found her cause. “This is my chance to do something,” she’d reasoned. “I wanted my walk to impact women on an international level, in particular a women’s health-related issue.” 

She knew each day would hold challenges – foreign food, language barriers, government restrictions, adverse weather and, undoubtedly, sore feet. But her most difficult moments could not be predicted - the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the US. She was in Malaysia, where newspapers are government-controlled, language a barrier.

 “I needed to get to an Internet café,” she recalled of the grief, anxiety and isolation she felt. 

Women must be advocates 

Letofsky has braved floods, lightning storms, extreme heat, hail, an earthquake and a forest fire on her journey across the globe. She headed west from Colorado to New Zealand and Australia, there, by happenstance, meeting members of Lions groups. The congenial Aussies agreed to serve as her sponsor, hosting her as she moved from town to town. They elevated the project to an international level, contacting people in Malaysia of her arrival and in subsequent destinations, including Europe. 

“It became much more than I’d dreamed,” she said of the cancer awareness initiative. As she traveled, Letofsky imparted messages to end misconceptions regarding breast cancer. “People seem to think if breast cancer doesn’t run in the family, they don’t need to worry about it,” she said. “The fact is, 80 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors. “Women have got to learn to be their own advocates when it comes to health,” Letofsky said. “Women experiencing a lump or change in the breast should head to their doctor. “Don’t just get an opinion – ‘you’re too young; it doesn’t run in your family so don’t worry about it.’ Every lump should be tested.” 

Following a seminar with doctors in Malaysia, her message translated in four languages, a member of the Malaysian parliament declared the beginning of a regional breast cancer awareness campaign. Malaysia now subsidizes yearly exams, Letofsky would learn a year later. 

‘I’d go home for a second’ 

Asians, she said, were warm and friendly but “I had no space,” she recalled. “They hover.” She was kept up by her hosts, who felt the need to entertain on a 24-hour basis. “India was by far the toughest. It was like being deposited on Mars,” she said. Dodging disease was of paramount concern, as were the riots between Muslims and Hindus and treatment of women.

 “God knows I don’t like to say such a thing, but I needed a man,” she related. Letofsky hired an Indian to accompany her. Phone calls were virtually impossible in India. Communication with parents and friends was conducted via e-mail. 

“India is an assault on the senses - the poverty, the cows, the smell, the noise, the stress. Once on-line, I’d realize there’s another world out there… I found peace in that.” Her Minnesota friends would keep her apprised of everyday activities, a kitchen expansion, a son’s exploits at school that earned detention. “I’d go home for a second.” And then she’d move on. There’s no place like home 

In an average day, Letofsky traveled 15 to 20 miles, walking four to 10 hours, “depending on my mood, the weather and destination.” (An ice cream parlor three miles further kept her walking.) She had assumed she’d be sleeping under the stars, but soon found hospitality in nearly every port. Her 70 pounds of gear - food and personal effects - were packed in a custom-designed stroller, featuring water bottle holders, compression straps, a transparent map pocket and a parking brake. 

People often joined her along the way. Her first two weeks out, she admits to eating “anything and everything that got in my path.” By the time she’d reached the southern tip of New Zealand, she’d gained “#$&! pounds.” She began to avoid the carbs and moved to veggies, fruit and fish. 

Europeans, she found, were critical of the US, and not nearly as friendly as the Australians or New Zealanders who offered rides and food. “But my favorite by far was the eastern United States,” she said of the welcome she received upon returning to home turf. 

In the five months she spent strolling Europe, no one offered her a ride. Back in the states, in a single day, a dozen motorists stopped to offer transportation – men, women and a motorcyclist. “I’m falling in love with my country,” she said. 

This week held a reunion in Detroit Lakes with her 97-year-old grandmother, her mom and sister with children, ages 1 and 3. The family “from 1 to 97” will be taking a few steps together for the cause. 

Her autumnal trek will take her from Detroit Lakes to Fergus Falls, catching the Mississippi River to Missouri. She’ll let a couple months of winter pass before resuming her journey. She’s yet to determine if it will be spent with friends in Duluth or New Zealand. 

Letofsky’s journal may be found at www.globalwalk.org. E-mails may be sent to pollyswalking@yahoo.com. Donations may be made to the Globalwalk/Breast Cancer Fund, 857 So. Curson Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036-4620.

 All donated funds have remained in the country of donation.