20K hit the street to beat cancer

FORT LAUDERDALE – An estimated 20,000 people wound their way through Fort Lauderdale Saturday morning for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5k Walk, organizers said.

It seemed like almost everyone had a relative or friend dealing with the disease.

“My mom, She’s battling right now but she’s a survivor,” said Suzette Ayton, from Pompano Beach. “I’m doing this for her and for millions of others with different kinds of cancer, not just breast cancer.”

She was part of the defiant pink wave of humanity flowing through downtown streets and washing over bridges to keep the spotlight on cancer prevention, treatments and, ultimately, cures.

This was the first 5k Walk in Fort Lauderdale for Broward County School District bus driver Lynetta Richardson. She knows some fellow school bus drivers who have had breast cancer so her group sold pink T-shirts to raise money for the cause.

“We sold these shirts and donated over $500 to raise breast cancer awareness,” she said. “It’s a big thing so we want to be a part of it.”

Annette Harden came down from Coral Springs to support her mother-in-law’s cancer battle. She had done a cancer walk in Boca Raton before but was somewhat surprised by the turnout in Fort Lauderdale.

“This one was much larger,” she said. “I was glad to see such a big turnout because this is touching everyone’s life so anything we can do to help we try to do.”

Congresswoman and breast cancer survivor Debbie Wasserman Schultz kicked off the annual event at Huizenga Park about 8 a.m. Saturday.

If you missed it but still want to support the cause there are plenty of events scheduled around South Florida during October. Health, wellness and community centers, and many shops, restaurants, retail and entertainment venues are offering in-store promotions to raise money for breast cancer education, prevention, and research.