Annually, for one delirious stretch of Himmarshee Village in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the road turns right into a wobbling runway of stilettos—this 12 months on Could 2—as men and women stride (and infrequently teeter) in sky-high heels whereas kids, canines, and a sea of pink wigs add to the spectacle and cameras flash via the cheering crowd. For Tammy Gail, the scene represents way over comedian aid. It’s the public face of a mission she has spent 20 years constructing.
Glam-A-THON™, the charity behind Excessive Heel Hike™, has grow to be one in all South Florida’s most recognizable grassroots fundraisers for breast most cancers help. Over the previous 20 years, Glam-A-THON™ occasions have donated roughly $750,000 to assist households throughout the area navigate the challenges of a breast most cancers analysis.
On Could 2, the occasion returns to mark its twentieth anniversary, bringing town again to the road the place all of it started.
The story behind the spectacle begins with a telephone name Tammy by no means anticipated to make.
Identified with breast most cancers whereas elevating her younger son as a single mom, she remembers confronting a concern that had little to do with medication.
“Most likely essentially the most tough factor a single mother with sole custody of her baby has to do is discover a subsequent of kin,” she says. “I keep in mind calling my sister in New Jersey to verify my son, David, would have a loving house if my final result was completely different.”
Remedy moved shortly. What started as a lumpectomy turned a mastectomy, then a bilateral mastectomy adopted by a number of surgical procedures and chemotherapy. Amid the push of appointments and procedures, Tammy discovered herself combating to carry onto one thing many sufferers quietly lose throughout remedy.
Her sense of self.
“I informed my docs I didn’t wish to lose my ‘me,’” she says. “The outside actually regarded completely different, however I used to be nonetheless Tammy Gail—a mother, sister, daughter, buddy. I didn’t wish to grow to be only a scientific examine.”
That willpower turned the inspiration for Glam-A-THON™.
“Following my mastectomy and restoration, I promised myself to make a significant influence for girls with breast most cancers in a manner that may be seen,” Tammy says.
Her reply was intentionally unconventional.
“There are such a lot of organizations surrounding breast most cancers that we needed to do one thing to face out,” she explains. “Most cancers is a somber matter, and I used to be sick and uninterested in the pink ribbon turning into a defining icon in my life. I needed an irreverent occasion that made folks cease, discover, and giggle slightly.”
The Excessive Heel Hike™ did precisely that. The premise is easy: contributors of each form, dimension, and background strut or sashay alongside the New River in stilettos. The result’s chaotic, hilarious, and unimaginable to disregard. What started as a playful stunt developed into one thing bigger. Over time, Glam-A-THON™ constructed a community of volunteers, sponsors, and supporters who believed the occasion’s humor opened the door to a extra severe dialog about how most cancers reshapes on a regular basis life.
Final 12 months, the group directed its fundraising towards Gilda’s Membership South Florida, which supplies free emotional help and group programming for folks impacted by most cancers.
“In contrast to conventional hospital-based care, which focuses totally on medical remedy, our mannequin addresses the emotional, social, and sensible challenges that include a analysis,” says Kim Praitano, President and CEO of Gilda’s Membership South Florida. “Our members are surrounded by others dealing with comparable challenges, creating an area the place nobody has to undergo most cancers alone.”
Tammy felt that philosophy instantly when she first walked via the group’s doorways.
“As quickly as I walked into the foyer of Gilda’s Membership on my first tour, I knew it was particular,” she says. “There’s a Zen feeling whenever you stroll into the constructing. I understand how stormy the ocean is whenever you’re going via remedy, and having an area that brings a deep sense of calm could be very therapeutic.”
In response to Praitano, Tammy’s occasions have carried out greater than elevate cash. They’ve strengthened the broader help community surrounding sufferers and caregivers.
“Tammy brings the South Florida group collectively via the Excessive Heel Hike™,” Praitano says. “Her power and persistence elevate important funds whereas permitting us to stay centered on delivering important providers.”
The help Glam-A-THON™ supplies typically reaches folks on the most human stage: serving to households cowl dwelling bills throughout remedy, supporting caregivers, or stepping in when a affected person’s funds collapse below the burden of medical appointments.
“The important thing phrase is dignity,” Tammy says. “Our mission is to offer dignity to each affected person now we have the honour of serving to.”
This 12 months’s anniversary occasion would be the most bold but, with tv anchor Lynn Martinez and drag performer Amanda Austin serving as emcees. “We’re about to throw the most important pink social gathering Fort Lauderdale has ever seen,” Tammy says.
Twenty years in, the formulation stays the identical: pleasure, group, and a pair of stilettos turning laughter into lifelines for households who want them most. Gail hopes this 12 months’s celebration will push Glam-A-THON™ previous a milestone she as soon as solely imagined—$1 million donated to South Florida households—as groups, sponsors, and courageous volunteers signal as much as assist Kiss Breast Most cancers Goodbye.
