Thousands gathered at Jones Beach State Park last Sunday to take part in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, which aimed to raise awareness of the disease and raise funds for breast cancer research.
The event marked its 31st year, and participants made their way west on the park’s boardwalk, adorned in pink. The event, sponsored by Teachers Federal Credit Union, is one of the largest fundraisers organized by the American Cancer Society, a nationwide organization that is dedicated to eliminating cancer and improving the lives of those affected by it.
According to Liz Wellinghorst, director of regional integrated marketing for the society’s northeast region, park officials and police estimated that around 77,000 attendees took part in the event, and matched last year’s total of around $2.3 million in funds raised.
“This event was brought about so that people who have an affinity for the issue of breast cancer can have the opportunity to get together and raise awareness and celebrate their own cancer journeys,” Katie Goepfrich-Schafer, executive director of the society’s Long Island chapter, said.
The money walkers raised will help fund the society’s research programs and patient-support services, which include transportation programs and Hope Lodge communities, where patients stay free during cancer treatments.
The walk drew people from across the South Shore and all over the country. Julie Allegretti, of Seaford, who has taken part each year since 2002, said she has known several people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer — a neighbor, a relative and a coworker.
“Everything that I’ve done always ties back into somebody being affected, or knowing somebody that’s been affected by breast cancer,” Allegretti said.
This year, she was part of a team called the Beautiful Butterflies, and said she hoped to continue raising money to help advance research in breast cancer. Over the past five years, she said, the various teams she has joined for the event have raised over $12,000.
Jennifer Castle, of East Meadow, a recent breast cancer survivor, was taking part in her first Strides walk, having been diagnosed in March. Her Team Castle was made up of friends and family.
“I think it’s just important that people understand that the only way that research is going to get better over the years is by not only participating in the walk and being there for your loved ones, but the donations are really important too,” Castle said.
After her diagnosis, she recounted, she underwent a lumpectomy and node removal to prevent the cancer from spreading. Over the summer she had four rounds of chemotherapy as well as cold capping, in which a head cap freezes hair follicles to prevent the hair loss that results from chemo. Castle kept 80 percent of her hair, she said, which made the experience less traumatic for her and her four children.
“Being able to see Mommy not losing her hair made it easier on everybody, including myself,” she said.
Castle added that having a strong support system is critical for anyone who is being treated for cancer. “If I didn’t have the support that I had,” she said, “I don’t think I would have been in the place that I am right now.”
For years, fundraisers such as the Strides walk have helped advance breast cancer research and treatment, according to Goepfrich-Schafer. Since 2013, she said, there have been many breakthroughs, including biomarker immunotherapy treatment, which uses the body’s own signals to help the immune system target cancer cells.
“I've seen cancers that had terrible outcomes 10, 15 years ago that are now treatable today,” Goepfrich-Schafer said.
According to the American Cancer Society website, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and that women between ages 40 and 44 “have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year.” Goepfrich-Schafer said she encourages women to go for those screenings when they’re of age, because early detection is crucial to surviving the disease.
She has been with the organization for 15 years, and has helped organize the Long Island Strides walk since 2013. Over the years, she has heard survivors sharing their stories on the boardwalk, bonding with those who walk to help raise awareness.
“It really just does an amazing job of bringing the community together,” Goepfrich-Schafer said.
For more information on breast cancer and the American Cancer Society, visit its website, cancer.org.