San Diegans along the coast are gearing up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk to put an end to cancer, which is being held this year from Nov. 18-20.
The 3-Day is a 60-mile journey that begins at Del Mar Fairgrounds on Friday, Nov. 18, and ends Sunday, Nov. 20 at Waterfront Park. During their march, walkers wend their way through the streets of La Jolla and Pacific and Ocean beaches, as well as through Mission Hills and Hillcrest. There are cheering stations along the route encouraging participants on their journey.
The Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day started in 2003 and is the longest-running event in the 3-Day series, in which participants walk 20 miles each day. They are required to raise a minimum of $2,300 for Susan G. Komen. Since its conception, the event has raised $135 million.
“The majority of 3-Day participants are co-survivors – which means they haven’t had breast cancer themselves but have stood by and supported someone who has been affected,” said Jim Hillmann from San Jose, who has made San Diego one of the seven national regional walks he’s done every year for over a decade. “I’m here because my mom passed away from breast cancer in 2004.”
Hillmann said the Komen walk is transformative. “You come out here as a first-time walker, and it doesn’t take long before you realize, ‘I’m part of a bigger community, a community that is here to support each other,’” he said. “By the time you’re done with three days and 60 miles, you’ve made connections, and now you start feeling the power of that community — and the synergy that comes from that.”
Each year, the Komen Race for the Cure, 5k, and the 3-Day, raises significant funds and awareness for breast cancer, celebrating breast cancer survivorship and honoring those who have lost their battle with the disease. With pledges from these events and donations throughout the year, strides are being made to continue the quest for a breast-cancer cure.
Each year, 75 percent of Komen’s proceeds are awarded through a grant process to local organizations. Each grantee conducts a program that offers breast cancer education, screening, or treatment to residents in the San Diego area. The remaining 25 percent is directed to Susan G. Komen for the Cure National Grant Program to fund research on a national and international level.
Since the San Diego Affiliate’s inception in 1995, nearly $9 million has been given to local organizations that provide breast cancer education, screening, diagnostics, treatment, and patient support for the uninsured or underinsured in San Diego County.
In 1980, Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became the Susan G. Komen organization and the beginning of a global movement.
What started with $200 and a shoebox full of potential donor names, has since grown into the world’s largest nonprofit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer. To date, the Komen organization has invested more than $3.3 billion in groundbreaking research, community health outreach, advocacy, and programs in more than 60 countries. The group’s efforts have helped reduce deaths from breast cancer by 40 percent since 1989. For more information, visit komen.org.
