On Oct. 25, over 20,000 people participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Brentwood. The event had a 5k for the competitive runners, but also a walk for all the people that wanted to participate.
The breast cancer run is not your typical running event. Participants included men, women, babies and even their dogs dressed up in tutus, bedazzled bras and wigs, all of which were pink.
One of the runners that joined in on this event is Alanna Walser, a senior at Lipscomb. She shared what this race means to her.
“My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was a sophomore in high school, ever since then I have been coming to the race for a cure. Just recently, my grandmother has also been diagnosed with breast cancer,” Walser said. “So we come out here to celebrate her and the determination and fight that she and my mother have shown throughout this journey.”
At the race, women that have overcome the disease were honored during the parade of survivors. These survivors range from those being cancer free for one year to long-time survivors. The longest survivor from the group that has beaten cancer is now 37 years cancer free.
This event is for the families that have gone through this journey, for the women to celebrate new life and to also bring hope for the future. Two other Lipscomb students shared their experiences of how breast cancer affected their loved ones and impacted their lives.
“My mom had breast cancer when I was 14; it was incredibly scary, I had no idea what was going to happen,” Jordan Huston said. “Thankfully, she is now six years cancer free. But seeing everything she had to go through, being in the hospital for almost a year was extremely intense and scary.”
Huston is now a senior in college on the volleyball team and in nursing school. Her mom has been there supporting her every step of the way.
“It’s weird to say, but when you’re 14 you don’t want to think your mom is going to die. That was the first thing that went through my mind; it was awful. But I’m so thankful for the doctors she had because she is now healthy,” Huston said.
Another Lipscomb student, Lana Sydenstrickr shared with us the same battle her mother had.
“My mom was impacted by breast cancer; she was diagnosed twice. It was really hard during my high school years because I had to watch her go through a lot of treatments,” Sydenstrickr said. “But at the end, it made our family grow closer.”