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ST. PETERSBURG – He'll be 20 next month, but the annual Walk Against Breast Cancer is still a long way to go.
Like many of his dedicated participants.
"We had a launch event (in August) at Historic Manhattan Casino and I could not believe how many people walked in the very first event," said Jennifer Howe, director of communications for the US cancer, located in southwestern Florida. Society. "It has talked a lot."
And the event continues to gain ground.
"The passion for fighting breast cancer is still so strong," said Howe, who noted that about 6,000 walkers participated in 2017. Between 2015 and last year, the number of walkers doubled, she added.
Vinoy Park, in downtown St. Pete, will host this year's event again on Saturday, October 20th.
Participation in the event is free. It is synonymous with a breathtaking sea of ribbons and pink shirts. The backdrop at the edge of the water makes the scene even more spectacular.
"It's so beautiful there," said Howe, who has been in the event for the past five years, about Vinoy Park. "The sun rises when most people arrive and the images are beautiful."
Many walkers solicit sponsorships, which is an important source of funding for cancer research.
Howe reports that the St. Pete event brought in about $ 200,000 last year. This year's goal is $ 20,000, she added.
Lois Nickel-Ward, one of those original walkers from two decades ago, will be among those strutting. Twenty years ago, she missed only one walk, while two years ago she had been in conflict with a family wedding.
"It's the only kind of thing that could have kept me going," she said.
Nickel-Ward estimates that about 1,000 walkers were part of these beginnings and that most were local hospital workers who formed teams and solicited donations on behalf of a patient. At the time, she was a technician at the Breast Cancer Unit of St. Petersburg General Hospital and is now a supervisor. During her 20 years, she also participated in the organization of fundraisers, ranging from raffles to the sale of biscuits with pink chocolate chips.
"It was like a good way to give back," she said.
With time, she saw not only more people join the march – "Many companies participated," she said – "but even some patients.
"Some of them were mine," Nickel-Ward said. "It hit home."
Indeed, the composition of the event has evolved, said Howe. Today, we see people in wheelchairs complete the march and it is far from being a place reserved for those who work with cancer, who fight against cancer or who have survived cancer.
"Many are family members or friends, colleagues or neighbors," Howe said. "Most people are touched by cancer at some point in their lives."
Seeing newly diagnosed patients interact with cancer survivors is powerful, she added.
"Time and time again, people on treatment tell us that seeing the survivors gives them hope, that they are not alone," Howe said. "You see 20-year-old survivors, walking hand-in-hand with them, on this journey together."
Howe has sometimes explained that what is sometimes forgotten in 20 years is simply the number of breakthroughs or breakthroughs in the fight against breast cancer, thanks in part to the money raised . She said that it was important to note to potential contributors that things are down.
"People will ask," What's up? What is different? What happened? "She says. "Very much. Mammography, for example, is different from that of 20 years ago. With early detection, people diagnosed with stage 0 or 1 now have a survival rate of over 90%.
During this period, deaths related to breast cancer fell by nearly 70%, according to the company.
"Do not get me wrong, hearing the word" cancer "is always terrifying," said Howe. This is where there is a better prognosis.
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