Worcester – During the annual National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, the American Cancer Society will be celebrating its first Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Worcester Sunday, Oct. 23 in an effort to unite the entire community to honor and celebrate breast cancer survivors, educate about prevention and early detection, and raise funds to help the Society save lives and create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays.
Making Strides is a 3- or 5-mile walk starting and ending at Elm Park in Worcester. There is no fee to register. Registration and rolling start is from 8 to10 a.m. Since its inception in 1993, nearly 7 million walkers nationwide have raised more than $400 million through Making Strides.
This October, the American Cancer Society is also urging women to follow early detection guidelines for breast cancer and to make healthy behavioral changes to lower their risk of breast cancer. An estimated 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 39,520 deaths from breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the U.S. in 2011, according to the American Cancer Society.
“As the Official Sponsor of Birthdays, the American Cancer Society wants women to experience the benefits of choosing to put their health first,” said Janet McGrail, State Vice President for Health Initiatives at the American Cancer Society. “Women can take action and put their personal breast health first to stay well, fight breast cancer and save lives. Thanks in part to early detection and improved treatment, more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors will celebrate a birthday this year.”
The Society offers free information to help make treatment decisions and access to its programs 24/7 through 1-800-227-2345 or at www.cancer.org.
