A Walk With Sam
“Many of our conversations happened while she was walking… so now we walk to remember her.”
A Walk With Sam
A 7-Day Walking Fundraiser in Loving Memory of Samantha
My friend Sam passed away recently after a courageous journey with cancer. She was only 38.
In 2024 I signed up with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to become a support buddy for someone going through colorectal cancer. When I signed up, all I knew was that I wanted to be the person for someone else that I didn’t have during my own cancer journey.
What I received in return was far more than I expected…….
Sam had a fierce spirit and a powerful will through her entire cancer journey. From the beginning she made a conscious decision to face it heart first. Her purpose was simple and profound — she wanted more years to love life and to spend time with the people she loved most.
She committed deeply to that purpose.
During her journey, Sam and her husband fulfilled a dream they had held for years — they moved into their first home together, a home by the water.
On many of our calls after she moved in, she would sit outside and talk about the geese she watched walking along the water or swimming by. She would light up when she spotted them. One day she excitedly told me she had seen a pair with goslings following behind them, and she sent me a picture.
Those moments brought her so much joy.
She changed her diet, letting go of foods that had once been everyday staples and replacing them with foods she believed would nourish and support a body fighting for its life. She dove into learning everything she could about nutrition and cancer, studying relentlessly and advocating for her own healing.
As part of her healing journey, Sam began walking regularly. Many times I joined her on those walks during our weekly calls. We would talk while she walked through her new neighborhood, sharing life, fears, hopes, laughter, and the reality of what it means to live with cancer.
Sam also wanted to meditate. She told me more than once how frustrated she felt that she couldn’t quiet her mind the way she thought meditation required.
I shared with her that I had once struggled with the same thing. I told her that meditation doesn’t always look like sitting cross-legged with palms turned upward or lying still with a perfectly quiet mind. Sometimes meditation is walking. Sometimes it’s driving. Sometimes it’s sitting on the porch watching geese move across the water.
With her permission, I created a custom guided meditation for her — one that spoke directly to where she was in that moment of her journey: the emotions, the physical pain, the thoughts that wouldn’t quiet.
It warmed my heart deeply when she told me how much it helped her.
I later created a second meditation for her as well. Sam was the first fellow cancer warrior with whom I had ever created and shared a custom meditation.
Sam was a deeply loving and committed wife, daughter, sister, and friend. She gave so much of herself to the people she loved.
I received a friend.
I was given the privilege of witnessing one of the most inspiring human beings I have ever known.
Through Sam, I experienced healing within myself that I didn’t even know was still needed. I felt seen — truly seen — and understood in ways that only another cancer warrior can understand.
Sam was a gift.
As much as I was there as a support, a friend, an ear, and sometimes a guide… she was also all of those things for me. She was an inspiration, a teacher, and a friend.
Because so many of our conversations happened while she walked through the neighborhood of the home she loved so much, “A Walk With Sam” felt like the most beautiful way to honor her life and her spirit.
The Walk
For seven days, I will walk at least 7,000 steps each day in her honor.
Each day will include a short reflection inspired by something Sam embodied during her journey:
Courage
Commitment
Joy in simple moments
Connection
Presence
Being seen
Legacy
I will also share short reflection videos from my walks in nature throughout the week.
How to Participate in A Walk With Sam
If you feel moved to walk beside us in spirit, there are several ways you can participate.
All donations from this fundraiser will go to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, a non-profit organization supporting individuals and families affected by colorectal cancer.
1️⃣ Donate Directly to the Fundraiser
You can donate any amount through the official fundraiser page.
All donations made through this link go directly to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
2️⃣ Sponsor My Steps for the Week
For seven days I will walk at least 7,000 steps per day, which equals 49,000 steps of remembrance.
You can sponsor the full walk by donating $490, which represents $0.01 per step.
**Of course, you are welcome to sponsor any portion of the steps as well.
3️⃣ Support the Fundraiser Through Guided Meditations
Inspired by the meditations I created for Sam during her cancer journey, I have created seven guided meditations which focus on the daily reflections listed above (Courage, Commitment, Joy in simple moments, Connection, Presence, Being Seen, Legacy) for this fundraiser.
You can support the walk by purchasing:
• Individual meditation recordings
• A full pack of all 7 meditations
Each meditation is:
• written by me
• narrated by me
• personally recorded
Meditations can be purchased here:
[Insert Meditation Purchase Link]
All proceeds from meditation purchases will be donated by me through the GoFundMe fundraiser to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
4️⃣ Walk With Us
You are also invited to simply participate by walking during the week.
Take a walk in nature.
Walk a mile.
Walk a few steps.
Walk remembering Sam and the courage she carried through her journey.
The Heart of This Walk
This first year will be simple.
Just me walking.
And all of us remembering Sam together.
All donations from this fundraiser will go to the Colo-Rectal Cancer Alliance (non-profit organization)
My hope is that A Walk With Sam becomes a yearly tradition — a way to keep Sam’s spirit alive and to continue supporting the people and causes that mattered to her.
Thank you for walking with us.
Every step remembers Sam.
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