Breast cancer walk hits streets Sunday
Event is in-person again after pandemic altered plans last year
Annemarie Dillon learned about the battle against breast cancer after her grandmother passed away when she was 8 years old.
Since then, Dillon has made it her mission to support survivors, families, and advocates in funding breast cancer research and providing educational resources on the diagnosis.
“I saw firsthand how excruciating going through all that was for her, and it stuck with me,” Dillon said.
Dillon was recently named the associate director of the Capital Region American Cancer Society, where she has worked for nine years.
Of her work there, Dillon said, “It was an opportunity for me to reconnect with the mission ... I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
The annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, taking place Sunday in Albany’s Washington Park, is entering its 26th year, but the road to making it happen has been difficult due to the pandemic.
Last year’s event switched to hybrid and was broadcast virtually on Facebook so that attendees could still connect with each other.
“We’re really excited because the 25th was celebrated differently, and this year it’s in person,” Dillon said.
“It has made us rethink how we locally reconnect with people”
One of Making Strides’ biggest supporters is Kristy Scalise, a mother of two who is a breast cancer survivor.
Scalise has supported the event for the past nine years.
In 2013, Scalise found out that she had stage 2 breast cancer after a lump was discovered during a biopsy when she was 21 weeks pregnant.
Scalise talked about the way that the news took a toll on not only her but her entire family.
“It was definitely hard because so much is thrown at you all at once. I still had to be a mom to my 2-year-old and I still had to keep myself happy and healthy, and stay positive for my unborn child,” she said.
She underwent a partial mastectomy and four rounds of chemotherapy while pregnant with her son to beat the disease. Now, Scalise works tirelessly to
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help other survivors and their families through community outreach.
After she began helping to fundraise and support events held by the American Cancer Society in the
Capital Region, she has also started her own fundraising event by throwing an annual block party. Her second one, held last month, raised $9,000 that was donated to the Making Strides event.
“Being around so many people the day of this event and seeing people there to support you and hundreds of survivors, that’s why getting involved has helped me continue to be so positive,” Scalise said.
Best Fitness is one of the many organizations and sponsors that will be in attendance Sunday. An instructor from the gym will be leading a warm-up and an onstage Zumba party.
“As soon as our Zumba instructors take the stage, it’s electrifying,” said Eric Taylor, director of sales and operations at Best Fitness.
Taylor has worked for the company for 12 years after spending most of his life in fitness, aligning with the gym’s mission to help members of the community become healthier and stronger.
Best Fitness has supported the event since before Taylor joined the team and continues to be a contributing factor to supporting breast cancer survivors in the Capital Region.
“We’re not a gym in the community, we are a gym for the community,” Taylor said.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer takes place in Albany’s Washington Park on Sunday at 10 a.m.