Feature
October
27
Runners, Walkers Join Fight Against Breast Cancer
by Elmy Savoie
John L. Guidry Stadium will yield its red and gray to a sea of pink Oct. 29 when more than 2,500 participants invade Nicholls State University’s campus for the Race for the Cure. Each year, the Bayou Region Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure sponsors the race, which brings people from Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. James and Assumption parishes together to celebrate and remember loved ones and friends who have survived, are still enduring, or lost a battle with breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, next to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. Though dependent on treatment and staging, the survival rate has increased over the past decade. That increase has been attributed to both early detection and improvements in breast cancer treatment—and both are the goals of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.
The foundation is a global grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. Nancy G. Brinker established the foundation in 1982 as a promise to her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do her part to end the struggles associated with breast cancer. Through annual events like the Race for the Cure held around the world, the foundation has investedmore than $1.9 billion to fulfill that promise.
The Bayou Region Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure began in 1999 in response to a growing need in south Louisiana for increased awareness about breast health, and as a way to inform women about the importance of mammograms.
Greg Stock, CEO of Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, was instrumental in establishing the nonprofit affiliate in the area.
“We recognized the need to promote positive awareness, education and especially early detection of breast cancer to the citizens of the bayou region,” Greg said.
For several years, the Bayou Region Race for the Cure was held in Peltier Park in Thibodaux. Last year, the success of the race led organizers to partner with Nicholls to move the event to the university’s stadium. The Bayou Runners Association was also brought in to certify the route for the 5K race.
At this year’s event on Oct. 29, Michael Lewis, team ambassador for the New Orleans Saints, will serve as honorary chair. The Party in Pink kicks off the festivities the night before the race in front of John L. Guidry Stadium. Race participants can stop by to preregister and enjoy food, music and fun.
On race day, attendees also participate in other activities, including a kid’s corner, band, special survivor recognition celebration and the annual cooking competition. Each year, organizers host a jambalaya cooking competition in which local teams compete for the coveted paddle. This year there’s also something new in the competition mix—a chili cook-off.
The Bayou Region Affiliate’s success benefits not only the national foundation in cancer research, but also hospitals and organizations in local communities. The foundation gives 75 percent of the net proceeds back to the five-parish area, while the race assists in breast cancer screening programs, educational outreach and treatment projects for women. It’s all work that goes back to one woman’s promise to her sister and to all who join in the same fight against a common enemy. And where there’s strength in numbers, the possibilities are endless for creating a healthier, better tomorrow.
