April 9, 2004

Lawrence Journal-World 
Lawrence, Kansas

Advocate circles globe in fight against cancer

Walker stops in Lawrence near end of 5-year trip

By Deanna Richards

Friday, April 9, 2004

There were just a handful of people at Café Nova coffee house, Eighth and New Hampshire streets, but when Polly Letofsky walked in, everyone in the room began applauding.

One customer even set aside her brewed Venezuelan java to give a standing ovation to Letofsky, whom she had never met.

Now, the two are friends with a common bond: breast cancer.

The customer was a survivor of the disease. Letofsky is an advocate for breast cancer awareness, and she has walked around the world to spread her message.

"I think, if you'll pardon the pun," Letofsky said, "it's just one more step in keeping the campaign in the forefront of everyone's mind."

Letofsky started her global journey in 1999 in Vail, Colo. She has traveled across four continents: North America, Australia, Asia and Europe. Letofsky said she planned to end her journey this summer at the exact spot where it began. She estimates the remaining 1,000 miles will take her about 3 1/2 months.

Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo Polly Letofsky makes her way south on County Road 1055 between Lawrence and Baldwin, nearing the end of her trek around the globe. Walking around the world to raise awareness about breast cancer, Letofsky will end her five-year journey July 30 in Vail, Colo., for a total of roughly 14,500 miles. "Everybody says how flat Kansas is," said Letofsky, the first American woman to walk around the globe. "All I see are hills."

Angela Streker, a volunteer with Letofsky's GlobalWalk program, said she was amazed at Letofsky's courage.

"It's a safety issue. She's out there, walking the entire globe by herself. But she just takes it one step at a time."

Letofsky walks with a specially made three-wheel trolley, which she calls Bob, that carries all her clothing and gear.

When she completes the walk, Bob will have accompanied Letofsky for more than 14,000 miles. Together, they have survived a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, 110-degree heat, minus 10-degree cold, and five forest fires.

Letofsky, who spent Wednesday night in Lawrence and began walking Thursday morning south toward Baldwin, said the hardest part about her long walk hadn't even come yet.

"I think the reassimilation process back into society and back into a routine is going to be the toughest part of this five-year journey. When I get back, I'm going to need a job, something like sales, where it still keeps me outside and in new surroundings every day, so it helps me ease into my new life."

For more information on GlobalWalk or to read more about Letofsky's time in Lawrence, log on to www.globalwalk.org.

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