A three-day, 75-mile walk from Gaylord to St. Ignace to raise funds for families struggling with the loss of a child is planned for Labor Day weekend. The second annual walk will raise funds for Gracie's Heart Fund, which provides funding for such struggling families as well as for hospitals to purchase pediatric medical equipment and educational materials.

Although 75 miles may sound like a long way to walk, organizer Wendy Frush said participants walk only what they want to.

"You don't have to walk the whole way. You can just walk a mile. Some people just walk the [Mackinac] Bridge," she said. "We don't care if you walk one step or two steps, as long as you raise money for the cause and get a positive

experience out of it." Last year, about 40 people participated in the walk from Sault Ste. Marie to Cheboygan. Mrs. Frush said she expects about the same number of people to participate this year. Many walkers who participated last year are walking again.

The path taken this year is different from the one walked last year owing to safety concerns, Mrs. Frush said. Last year walkers left Sault Ste. Marie and walked along Mackinac Trail toward St. Ignace, crossing the Mackinac Bridge and continuing on to Cheboygan. Owing to heavy traffic on Mackinac Trail, this year's walk will start in Gaylord at the North Central State Trail trailhead on Fairview Road Saturday, September 5, at 8 a.m. and continue for about 30 miles to Indian River. Day two of the walk will leave Indian River at the trailhead on Club Road at 8 a.m. Sunday, heading 25 miles toward Cheboygan and ending at Point Nipigon between Cheboygan and Mackinaw City. The final day of the walk will start in St. Ignace at 8 a.m. Monday with the annual Labor Day crossing of the Mackinac Bridge, and end in Cheboygan. Participants walking with the group are asked to arrive 30 minutes early.

Gracie's Heart Fund was started in honor of two-month-old Gracie Hough, who died of a rare heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson- White Syndrome. In this condition, the brains send an electrical pulse to the heart too soon, making it pump blood irregularly. Most of the people with the condition are between the ages of 11 and 50; Gracie was a rare case.

The fund, founded by Gracie's mother, Cate Hough, is operated through the Chippewa County Community Foundation in Sault Ste. Marie. The three-day walk is supported by War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinac Straits Hospital in St. Ignace, and Cheboygan Memorial Hospital in Cheboygan.

Mrs. Frush, who is Gracie's aunt, plans to walk the entire 75 miles in honor of her niece. Last year she fell just short of completing the entire walk because of painful blisters on her feet. She said she is better prepared this year.

"It's a real test of endurance," she said. "It also, I think, for us and for a lot of people who have lost children, it gives you a lot of time to think and have moments of reflection. To think that you're doing something positive out of something that's totally devastating."

Those who would like to participate

in the walk or to donate to Gracie's Heart Fund can do so by contacting Wendy Frush at (906) 478-3312, or through e-mail at graciesheart@ yahoo.com. Donations can be made to the fund or pledged per mile for a specific walker.