By Guest Blogger, Jake Coble, Volunstar
The final day of the 2015 Little Pink Lake Tahoe retreat began with excitement and new experiences! This morning, the families headed over to Northstar, where they took a ride on the gondola to the top of the mountain. Families loved the ride, and took several captivating photos of the view along the way!

From there, the group had a fun-filled time at the skating rink at Northstar, which certainly caused them to work up an appetite. For lunch, we had delicious pizza courtesy of Rubicon Pizza (and the word “delicious” doesn’t even do it justice!).

In the afternoon, some families chose to participate in a crazy round of Miniature golf at Magic Carpet Golf. They enjoyed being able to connect with each other, while also trying to win, of course!

Our night concluded with a great seafood dinner provided by chef Sue Fogel. Sue is a chef for First Descents, another great program for cancer patients!    We actually ended up having what we caught yesterday on the charter fishing trip! The smells of salmon filled the room, and we enjoyed a relaxing final night at First Baptist Church of Tahoe City. We said our final good-byes, hugged it out one last time, and went our separate ways.

Reading this, you may be wondering why the title of this article is “The Beginning”. Seems like an oxymoron, right? It is the end of the week, after all. Yet tonight did not mark the end of this journey. Friendships were made. Families reconnected. Relationships grew deeper. At the end of the Lake Tahoe retreat, I can say with 100% confidence that this group will stay connected, through thick and thin. We all share the same struggle that is breast cancer, yet we each have viewed it through a different lens. A sense of unity has emerged among participants in this retreat- They are not alone. Mothers, fathers, children and others are not alone in the scary realm of coping with breast cancer. This group will march forward, holding each other’s hand one step at a time. The march has just begun.