O'side to host HIV/Cancer 5K

When Richard Brodksy was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer seven years ago, his doctors told him he only had two to four years to live. But this Saturday, Brodsky will be running in his charity’s first HIV/Cancer 5K in Oceanside Park while he proves his doctors wrong.

Five years before Brodsky was diagnosed with brain cancer, he tested positive for HIV. Instead of falling into despair, Brodsky rallied against his diseases and formed the Richard Brodsky Foundation, which has raised and donated thousands of dollars to HIV/AIDS research over the years.

“We go to Kenya every year where we sponsor a World AIDS Marathon, and this will hopefully be our seventh year,” Brodsky said. “We donate to local charities there, local AIDS-related projects.”

But Brodsky was questioned by supporters in Kenya about why he didn’t do fund raising here in America. So Brodsky, who along with his wife Jodi is a life-long marathon runner, decided to host the run in Oceanside.

“The way it works is a team of two people sign up: one person’s healthy, the other person has HIV or cancer,” said Brodsky. “Nobody will know who’s sick and who’s healthy.”

The run is free to participate in. Brodsky is hoping that his charity will make up the cost of the run through donations.

Traci Bowman, a resident of Middle Island who was diagnosed with HIV more than 14 years ago, will be participating in Brodsky’s 5K, after a friend asked her to. Though she’s been living with HIV for over a decade, Bowman has not let her diagnosis hold her back.

“I can’t really talk about sad stuff, because it’s been a blessing for me,” she said. “Not that a condition in your health is a blessing, but it hasn’t been totally negative. I can’t say that. I had a couple of hospitalizations where they thought I wasn’t going to make it. But I have a strong belief in God, so nothing can keep me from doing what I want to do.”

Brodsky firmly believes that running is what has helped to keep him alive. He also attributes the camaraderie of runners to helping him, as he and his wife run in many 5Ks and marathons every year.

“I thought, if the running has kept me alive and healthy, my foundation wants to encourage those with HIV and cancer to run,” Brodsky said.