COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A sea of pink flooded downtown Columbus on Sunday morning for the 16th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.
“You know you know a survivor. Or you know someone who’s going through cancer who can use the support. When you come down here you see how happy we are and there is life after cancer,” said Lydia Kemerling Back, member of the walk’s planning committee and 25-year breast cancer survivor.
It’s hosted by the American Cancer Society and for the last three years, NBC4's Daytime Columbus host Robyn Haines has emceed the event. She is 14 years cancer free and wants to encourage other women to be their own advocates. “If you feel something isn’t right, you’ve got to keep going and that’s what I did. I had a lot of people tell me that I was too young. It turns out I wasn’t,” she said.
The American Cancer Society says while the number of cases aren’t dropping, death rates have dramatically declined. “While we are not eradicating it, we are certainly making strides. We are certainly making a difference,” said Haines.
For the first time, she was also joined by NBC4’s Cierra Johnson on stage. She is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society’s Voices of Black Women study. “Every year, it’s all done online, filling out a study talking about what’s going on in your life, some of the external factors, some of the health questions and then they combine all of the information to see if there are any trends,” said Johnson.
They are looking for 100,000 women between 25 and 55 years old to participate. The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk raises money for research, patient programs and education. “This is all for Columbus. It stays right here. It helps the community here from everything they need,” said Kemerling Black.
You can learn more about the American Cancer Society’s mission and see how you can participate in the Voices of Black Women study here.
