WASHINGTON – Fund-raising road races, victims’ photo exhibits and the dedication of a park honoring cancer survivors highlight activities for Breast Cancer Awareness Month beginning Wednesday in Maryland.
“Breast Cancer Awareness month is a wonderful tool to remind women to be pro-active in their own breast health care,” said Brenda Bottum, president of the Maryland chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 3,400 Maryland women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and that 840 will die from the disease.
“Women have a 97 percent chance of surviving if breast cancer is caught at an early stage before it has spread,” said Susan Bauman, spokeswoman for the Maryland council of the American Cancer Society. “That is why it is critical that we do more awareness.”
The month’s events include the Oct. 4 Maryland Race for the Cure, sponsored by the Komen foundation.
The event, which includes a one-mile “fun walk” and two five-kilometer races, is expected to draw 10,000 participants and raise $350,000, Bottum said. A $25 registration fee goes to breast cancer research, health care and education programs in Maryland.
All events begin at the Inner Harbor. Call (410) 433-RACE for more information.
Portraits in Hope, traveling photo exhibits honoring Maryland breast cancer survivors, will be displayed at malls around the state. The exhibits are sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
Other activities include:
–Opening ceremonies for a Cancer Survivors’ Park in Towson Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran is scheduled to speak.
–A four-week education and support program for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The program, which starts Oct. 7, is sponsored by the Wellness Community in Baltimore.
–The Relay for Life, an overnight walkathon sponsored by the Wicomico County Health Department. The event at James M. Bennett High School in Salisbury begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 and concludes at 1 p.m. the next day. Participants will collect donor pledges and walk in teams around a candle-lit track to commemorate deceased and living cancer victims.
–Health fairs at churches and senior centers in Charles County in Southern Maryland.
–A “Mammography Screening Day” Oct. 18 at St. Mary’s Hospital, which will offer free mammograms for low-income women.
–Posting of breast cancer information by more than 50 restaurants in Western Maryland.
The American Cancer Society will sponsor a five-mile walkathon in Washington Nov. 2 at 8 a.m. at the Sylvan Theater next to the Washington Monument.
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