Lorton Woman Treks in Mother's Memory in Susan G. Komen Walk

For more than a decade, Julie Lobdell crossed the finish line of the Susan G. Komen Three Day, 60-mile walk and was greeted by her mother, Dorothy, a 25-year breast cancer survivor.

But this year's walk will be different, because in February Dorothy passed away from stage IV lung cancer. 

"My mom would've been 82 on April 26. She died of lung cancer that had gone to her liver, her brain and her bones. Every time I would talk with her and see her through that ordeal, it renewed my resolve that no one else in my family should go through that," Lobdell told Patch. "Twenty-five to 30 years ago, the survival rate for people with cancer that was detected early was about 70 percent. Now, it's 97-98 percent, and that's due to the money that raised through the Susan G. Komen 3-Day."

Lobdell, 51, lives in Lorton with her husband, David, and has personally raised more than $135,000 for cancer research since 2000. Her team "Girlapalooza" has raised more than $500,000. This year's goal is to raise $25,000. So far, the team has raised $47,000 and Lobdell has raised nearly $5,000.

The walk is Oct. 12 - 14 this year. 

"The weather on the three-day can be anything from very hot to extremely cold," Lobdell said. "One year it was over 100 degrees each day, but everyone was happy because they were there for the same reason — to end cancer in our lifetime." 

Lobdell, who works out on weekends at the Hayfield High School track, raises money through a personal campaign of letters and emails.

"While we were growing up, Mom encouraged us to always do our best, fight for what we believed in, and to dream BIG!" says a letter. "I will not stop participating in the 3-Day until the words 'You have breast cancer' have been permanently eradicated from our vocabulary."

For more on Julie Lobdell and her journey, visit her page on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day website.