THE GOOD FIGHT
Lobo Challenge expands the ways participants can join the battle against cancer
Cancer touches many lives in New Mexico. That is one of the reasons the Lobo Cancer Challenge added a run/walk to the events this year. “We wanted to open it up to more participants,” said Amy Liotta, who is the event director for the event. “While older children could participate in the bike rides last year, the shorter walk allows families with smaller children to bring them along. They can bring the stroller if they like.”
Family activities such as face painting and field games (giant Jenga, cornhole and hula hoops) will also be going on in the stadium from 9 a.m. to noon. Concessions will be available. In its second year, the Lobo Cancer Challenge is a 25-, 50- or 100-mile bike ride or a 5K run/walk on Sept. 8, starting and ending at Dreamstyle Stadium. Deadline to register is Sept. 3.
Marilee Petranovich of Gallup will be riding the 25-mile route with her husband and daughter to celebrate her remission from a Stage 4 of a rare form of cancer.
“If you know anything about cancer, the prognosis on any form of Stage 4 cancer isn’t great,” she said in a phone interview. “But from the moment I walked into the center, my team said they had a plan and they made me feel confident. “The care I received there was fabulous.” She said raising money for the center is just one small way she can say “thank you” to those who got her through a very dark time.
“I’m going to ride the 25 this year and maybe next year go further,” she said.
Those who don’t want to ride or run can go to lobocancerchallenge.org and click on “donate to a challenger” under the “get involved” tab at the top of the page.
You can search for a participant or team (Team Petranovich is Marilee’s team) or give directly to the General Research Fund without a challenger or team name.
All the money raised supports patient care services at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as research to help discover causes and cures of cancer.
Liotta said one of the unique aspects of this fundraiser is that participants can choose to target their donations to 17 specialties, including Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers Research, Cancer Survivorship Clinic, Friends of Hope Patient Assistance Fund, Cancer Palliative/End of Life Care, along with specific cancer funds, such as those dealing with breast, lung, skin, gastrointestinal, prostate and head and neck cancers.
Funds can also be targeted toward the training and education of cancer health professionals.
In the event’s first year, there were 168 riders in the 25-, 50- and 100-mile bike rides. Those riders, along with 173 volunteers and sponsors, raised $164,000. The top areas included:
$13,665—Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and stem cell transplants
$12,155—Prostate, renal, bladder and testicular cancers $12,040—General research fund $8,995—Adolescent and young adult cancers $8,585—Gynecologic/oncology cancers $7,765—Breast cancer