Sally Avenson counts her years in dozens. Six dozen years living. Over four dozen years delivering babies (including Dave Matthews and his wife’s twins). More than three dozen as a mother, two dozen as a breast cancer survivor, and one dozen since she became a widow. Through all the ups and downs of life, nature has been a constant – from the birch and pine trees of her childhood at summer camp in Minnesota to the picturesque peaks of Patagonia and the still, green oasis of her backyard – Sally loves the great outdoors.

It’s no surprise then, that on many Wednesdays you’ll find Sally out on the trail with Team Survivor Northwest’s Midweek Hiking program. She often drives the Seattle carpool and has joked about saving the gas reimbursements in a jar to walk them into the Team Survivor Northwest office as a donation. Only Sally wasn’t completely joking, and when GiveBIG came along this year, she leveled up.

“It’s not always what you do, it’s who you’re with,” she said before a hike. Heads nodded. “Team Survivor has helped me exercise in ways I may have never tried otherwise, and with a kickass group of women!” More nods surrounded by a knowing laughter. “People are fun and genuine. We don’t sugarcoat cancer. It’s as if the support comes organically while we’re stretching, on a break, or in between breaths. I want more women, all women survivors, to benefit the way I have, and it takes time. It takes money.” Sally pulled the carpool cash out of her pocket and indicated it was meant for the donation jar. Hearts resonated, then several more hands reached into pockets of their own and matched Sally by adding cash to the pile.

Twenty-four years ago, after a bilateral mastectomy and during six months of chemotherapy, Sally’s oncologist (and Team Survivor Northwest cofounder) Dr. Julie Gralow strongly encouraged Sally to join Team Survivor. Dr. Gralow didn’t stop at the referral though – she was out on the trail, swimming laps, and in between breaths literally moving with patients toward healing. This is the magic of Team Survivor Northwest, because as Sally said, it’s not always the what, it’s also the who.