PEORIA, Ill. – (25 News) – It was a sea of pink and and a celebration of sisterhood at Peoria’s Metro Centre for Susan G. Komen’s “More Than Pink” walk.
Breast cancer survivors came together in person Saturday for the first time in two years.
The event raises money for breast cancer research, treatment and awareness.
“The goal was to help people understand that we do more than a run and more than an event,” Susan G. Komen Development Manager Katie Cox said.
“Yes, there’s an event here today, there is a walk, but we have taken great measures to educate our community about what we do.”
For many survivors like Amie Slott, who beat breast cancer six years ago, the walk is a place for support.
“I would not have made it through the last six years without that unique perspective of other survivors in my life,” Slott said. “Nobody understands your journey like a survivor.”
The group did work outs, shared stories of their battle with breast cancer and honored those who lost their battle.
“My friend and mentor Sue Paul passed away in March,” six year survivor Jenn Shimon said.
“I was always on her team for this event and so her team was called CPO superheroes. This year, I knew I had to step up and be a captain, which is not necessarily something that I wanted to do, but I knew I had to make her proud,” Shimon said.
Organizers have raised more than $150,000 as of Saturday.
Survivors said the support from the community is a big step in working toward a cure for breast cancer.
“It means hope that my kids wont have to deal with this, maybe someday my grandkids wont have to deal with this,” Slott said.
