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DAYTONA BEACH – This was not Raelene Blake's first walk for breast cancer, but it was her first year walking as a survivor.
Blake, 43, of Palm Coast, had an army behind her filled with family members, friends and workmates from Target. They all wore gray shirts with a pink ribbon for breast cancer and "Team Raelene" printed on the back.
"It was hard to fight," Blake said. "But it made me stronger as a person and helped me realize what was important in life."
What's important to Blake is the family – which includes her husband, two children and three stepchildren – her friends and her quality of life.
"When I was diagnosed for the first time, I was really worried about my kids' reaction and their future," said Blake, with tears in his eyes. "They were worried but they came out very well."
Survivors, supporters, and volunteers invaded the grass of Riverfront Park to mark the 25th Annual Walk in the Heart of the City on the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk . The opening of the event was inaugurated by a 60-degree event, with more than 10,000 participants dressed mostly in pink outfits when they emptied the park and went to Beach Street.
Each year, cities across the country hold walks to raise money for cancer programs and research. Saturday's walk raised $ 183,601, according to the event's website.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 252,710 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. On the other hand, the death rate due to the disease has dropped significantly over the last 15 years thanks to improve treatments and early detection.
Access to care for this company is one of the main goals of the American Cancer Society this year, according to Tenna Pappas, head of the region program for mission accomplishment.
"The main reason why cancer patients do not get care, is because they can not go," said Pappas from his stand at the park. "We have a Road To Recovery program in which volunteers offer free walks to patients."
Makayla Edwards, 19, a freshman at Bethune-Cookman University, is registered as a volunteer walking to support her aunt who fights breast cancer.
"The best part is to see the survivors," Edwards said. "It was very difficult to watch my aunt fight, so I wanted to do something to help the cause."
Ugene Brady, 79, from DeLand, came to the rescue of his wife, Sheila, who had a double mastectomy seven years ago to get rid of two types of breast cancer.
"The worst thing was the 10-hour operation," Brady said. "But it was the right decision, she is in remission and she is here with me."
Sheila said the double mastectomy was an extremely difficult decision but that she had "no other choice".
"If I wanted to live, that's what I had to do," Sheila said. She finally finished taking her meds last year. "When we go through the stage here, I am very moved, knowing that I am not alone."
For Shakia Moore, of Daytona Beach, this walk allows her to remember not only her mother, but also her father. Both died of breast cancer.
"It was an arduous job to take care of them," Moore said. "Many tough nights feel like I was an island."
The American Cancer Society estimates that 2,550 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though breast cancer is less likely in men, it still occurs.
"It was a shock for both of us when we found out," Moore said of his father. "He was the first man I knew who had breast cancer, but we had a very supportive doctor who helped us overcome it."
Moore's two parents died before the age of 50. Her mother died for the first time in 2002. It was only a year later that her father was diagnosed. He died in 2006.
"He was a fighter," said Moore. "He treated every day like he was going to live."
Moore walks every year since the death of her mother and says it's her way of not feeling like an island and that it gives her a sense of "community, support and encouragement ".
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