Florida Keys Unites To Help End Breast Cancer

Key West, FL- October 26, 2015 – More than 1,000 Florida Keys residents rallied together on October 10th in Marathon and on October 17th in Key West for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer community walk, raising more than $132,000 county-wide.

“It is heartwarming to see the all of the Keys joining hands together to help put an end to breast cancer”, said Suzy Curry, Event Chair and four-year breast cancer survivor.  “I’m so proud of how our communities up and down the Keys responded and how every participant, volunteer and sponsor took positive steps to help finish the fight against breast cancer.”

In all, 78 teams from Key Largo to Key West raised $112,000 in the month’s leading up to the event.  From lunches sold to co-workers, to large scale events like the annual Purse Auction, each team played a part in the success of the event.

In addition, the 2015 walk was also made possible by the generous support of sponsors like the Pink Premier Sponsor–The Key West Institute for Plastic Surgery.  Also sponsoring were Direct to Dish, Ed Swift In Memory of Helen Swift, KW Sunrise Rotary Club, Last Key Realty, Gilbert’s Resort in Memory of Kimberly Uteck, Niles Sales and Service, Blown Away Salon, Pepe’s Café, and Florida Keys Electric Coop.  More than 50 businesses also contributed to the two events as either supporters or in-kind donors.

While significant progress in the fight against the disease has been made, more needs to be done. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in the U.S. other than skin cancer, and is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer. The chance of a woman developing invasive breast cancer at some time in her life is about 1 in 8. In 2015, approximately 232,670 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die from the disease in the U.S.

Since 1993, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer has been the American Cancer Society’s rallying cry to build awareness and generate funds to fight breast cancer. In that time, 10 million walkers in nearly 300 communities across the nation have collected over $594 million.

With one in every two newly diagnosed women turning to the American Cancer Society for help and support, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer funds are used to make a difference by:

  • Helping people take steps to reduce their risk of breast cancer or find it early when it is most treatable;
  • Investing in groundbreaking cancer research to find, prevent, treat, and cure the disease;
  • Providing free information and services to help people facing breast cancer when and where they need it including transportation, lodging, wigs, support programs, financial assistance, and more;
  • Ensuring access to mammograms for women who need them.

For additional details about Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and how you can get involved visit makingstrideswalk.org. For free breast cancer information and resources visit the American Cancer Society’s website at cancer.org or call 800.227.2345 any time day or night.

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