Every year, for one delirious stretch of Himmarshee Village in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the road turns right into a wobbling runway of stilettos—this yr on Might 2—as men and women stride (and sometimes teeter) in sky-high heels whereas kids, canines, and a sea of pink wigs add to the spectacle and cameras flash by the cheering crowd. For Tammy Gail, the scene represents excess of comedian reduction. It’s the public face of a mission she has spent twenty years constructing.
Glam-A-THON™, the charity behind Excessive Heel Hike™, has turn into one in every of South Florida’s most recognizable grassroots fundraisers for breast most cancers assist. Over the previous twenty years, Glam-A-THON™ occasions have donated roughly $750,000 to assist households throughout the area navigate the challenges of a breast most cancers prognosis.
On Might 2, the occasion returns to mark its twentieth anniversary, bringing the town again to the road the place all of it started.
The story behind the spectacle begins with a cellphone 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 little one has to do is discover a subsequent of kin,” she says. “I keep in mind calling my sister in New Jersey to ensure my son, David, would have a loving dwelling if my consequence 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 frenzy of appointments and procedures, Tammy discovered herself preventing to carry onto one thing many sufferers quietly lose throughout therapy.
Her sense of self.
“I instructed my medical doctors I didn’t need to lose my ‘me,’” she says. “The outside actually seemed completely different, however I used to be nonetheless Tammy Gail—a mother, sister, daughter, good friend. I didn’t need to turn into only a scientific examine.”
That dedication turned the muse for Glam-A-THON™.
“Following my mastectomy and restoration, I promised myself to make a significant impression for girls with breast most cancers in a manner that will be observed,” 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 subject, 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 snicker slightly.”
The Excessive Heel Hike™ did precisely that. The premise is easy: members of each form, dimension, and background strut or sashay alongside the New River in stilettos. The result’s chaotic, hilarious, and not possible to disregard. What started as a playful stunt advanced 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 critical dialog about how most cancers reshapes on a regular basis life.
Final yr, the group directed its fundraising towards Gilda’s Membership South Florida, which gives free emotional assist and neighborhood programming for folks impacted by most cancers.
“Not like conventional hospital-based care, which focuses totally on medical therapy, our mannequin addresses the emotional, social, and sensible challenges that include a prognosis,” says Kim Praitano, President and CEO of Gilda’s Membership South Florida. “Our members are surrounded by others going through related challenges, creating an area the place nobody has to undergo most cancers alone.”
Tammy felt that philosophy instantly when she first walked by 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 by therapy, and having an area that brings a deep sense of calm may be very therapeutic.”
In accordance with Praitano, Tammy’s occasions have completed greater than elevate cash. They’ve strengthened the broader assist community surrounding sufferers and caregivers.
“Tammy brings the South Florida neighborhood collectively by the Excessive Heel Hike™,” Praitano says. “Her power and persistence elevate crucial funds whereas permitting us to stay centered on delivering important providers.”
The help Glam-A-THON™ gives typically reaches folks on the most human degree: serving to households cowl residing bills throughout therapy, supporting caregivers, or stepping in when a affected person’s funds collapse below the load of medical appointments.
“The important thing phrase is dignity,” Tammy says. “Our mission is to supply dignity to each affected person we have now the consideration of serving to.”
This yr’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 largest pink get together Fort Lauderdale has ever seen,” Tammy says.
Twenty years in, the formulation stays the identical: pleasure, neighborhood, and a pair of stilettos turning laughter into lifelines for households who want them most. Gail hopes this yr’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.
