CALGARY — More than 6,000 people took to the street Sunday morning for the 23rd annual CIBC Run For the Cure.
Held in 57 cities nation-wide, the event is Canada’s largest single-day fundraising effort in support of breast cancer research and support.
This year the Calgary run exceeded its goal of raising $800,000.
“Calgary is the second largest run in Canada,” said run director Kristy McGowan.
“We already met our fundraising goal this year before the run even started and the numbers keep climbing, so we are so excited for the support of local Calgarians.”
Most taking part in the walk have a personal connection to breast cancer, either through a loved one who has faced the disease, or, like Dianna Siddons, are breast cancers survivors themselves
“I lost my mother to breast cancer. They didn’t have the facilities back then that they do now,” she said.
“I’m now a two-time survivor and I think that it’s events like this that make that happen.”
The Canadian Cancer Society says the money from the over two decade-long Run for the Cure has had a significant impact on breast cancer survival rates.
“It will eventually become a chronic, manageable disease, and we are so close.”
“The breast cancer survival rates today are really high and 20 years ago they were very low,” said Dan Holinda, a regional director for the Canadian Cancer Society‘s.
“So you can track the trajectory, and you will see the results that we and the researchers we work with have made.”
One-in-eight Canadian women can expect to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Participants in the run and walk say they won’t give up until all those women are able to survive the diagnosis.
“My mom passed away from breast cancer six-and-a-half years ago and we used to do the run with her, and we still do it in her honour,” said participant Kelsey Meyers.
“We’ll be here until they find a cure.”
