Run for the Cure this Sunday
Published Thursday October 1st, 2009
"Our ultimate goal is to have a future without breast cancer," says Wendy Bransfield, Nurse Manager at the Moncton City Hospital and co-director, with her sister, Janet Goguen, of the CIBC Run for the Cure, the major fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF)
Goguen, Financial Advisor at CIBC, has been involved with the run since it began in Moncton 12 years ago - the last three as run director - and has brought her entire family on board.
While this is Bransfield's first year as co-director, she's been involved for the last seven years, as have both of their parents, their husbands, a brother, sister-in-law and nephew.
While both women want to give back to the community at large, they also have personal reasons for getting involved.
They have lost an aunt, several friends and a younger cousin to breast cancer, so they know how this disease can devastate a family.
They also believe there is reason to be hopeful and feel empowered that they can be part of that hope.
Breast cancer is the still the most common cancer among Canadian women.
According to the most recent statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society, one in nine Canadian women is expected to develop breast cancer in her lifetime, but only one in every 28 will die from it.
This means that two-thirds of the women diagnosed will, in fact, live through it.
The main reason that fewer are dying is that more women are being diagnosed earlier.
"With early detection, chances of survival are hugely increased," Bransfield says, speaking of the importance of regular mammograms. "We need to be proactive and not reactive."
Goguen explains the importance of CBCF's Tour for the Cure initiative.
The pink bus has traveled over 7,000 kilometres and visited 110 communities, providing information to women and men on the importance of mammograms and breast self-examination. CBCF suggests annual screening for women aged 40 to 49, every second year for women 50 to 59 and less frequently for older women.
A big concern in Moncton is with the wait time - women typically wait three to 12 months. In order to save more lives, we need more mammogram machines.
This is one reason why both women are excited about the upcoming Run for the Cure, scheduled for Sunday, October 4, at Centennial Park in Moncton. To date they have 65 teams registered in four categories: Families & Friends, Women, Corporate Groups and Schools, with over 3,000 participants, including 200 breast cancer survivors.
Some of them will be running, while others who may be undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment, will be able to sit in the shade of a tent, after having been piped in by the RCMP band.
"It's an emotional moment, every year, when they come in," says Goguen.
Opening ceremonies begin at 1:15 p.m. at which time Dr. Roger Roberge, author of "Why Me? Surviving, Coping and Living with Breast Cancer" will speak and then after a warm-up, the runners and/or walkers are off, on either a one kilometer route around the water or a five kilometer route through the woods.
They return at 3 p.m. for the Awards Celebration, Bar-b-q and musical entertainment by Kat Sass.
At the end of the day, Goguen hopes to have raised $500,000.
"Last year we raised over $400,000," she says, "and $500,000 is a nice round number. I believe we can do it.
"All of the funds from the run go directly to CBCF along with one hundred per cent of the money from the bank's Think Pink merchandise," Goguen explains, "which then allocates the money back to the region."
"It's used to purchase more diagnostic equipment for local hospitals," Branscombe says, "and goes toward research at Université de Moncton."
In the 21 years since CBCF was formed, it has allocated over $120 million dollars in grants for breast cancer research, health promotion and awareness programs.
This has resulted in significant improvement in survival rates for women with breast cancer since the mid-1980s. At present, the five-year survival rate in Canada is 87 per cent.
"All of those donated dollars add up," Goguen says. "It's important for the public to know that each individual can make a huge difference."
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