To many, breast cancer is more than a sickness; it’s a whole change in lifestyle. Therefore, the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run event, to many, was more than a 5K; it was a rally.
Whether a survivor, a family member of a lost one, or simply an athlete, every one of the 6,500 runners fought against breast cancer this past Saturday. According to WAFF, this year’s Ribbon Run brought a profit of $245,000 solely from online donations.
As thousands from across the area joined together to celebrate the run’s 10th anniversary on October 18th, they were also reminded of its humble origins.
Liz Hurley, WAFF news anchor, first experienced cancer in her life when her mother was diagnosed with it and later passed away due to its effects.
It was in 1998 that Hurley faced breast cancer once again—only this time she encountered it in her own body.
According to the race’s official site, Hurley founded the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund at the Huntsville Hospital the following year.
The fund supported a project to construct and provide advanced equipment for what we now call the Huntsville Breast Cancer Center.
According to Hurley, within the first ten years, the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund had raised more than three million dollars.
Then one day, the CEO of Huntsville Hospital suggested doing a run devoted to breast cancer.
Hurley explains that at the time, nothing like that had been done.
She realized that this 5K would bring people of all types together for a common purpose. Major investments could be made towards cancer research.
And so the Ribbon Run began in 2003.
What started off as one woman’s battle against breast cancer has now become the basis for an entire city’s celebration.
On the cool October morning, venders began setting up in front of Huntsville Middle School before 6 a.m., and racers began arriving at around 7 a.m.
Soon booths sprinkled the sidelines, offering the incoming participants face painting, artwork, jewelry, and apparel before, between, and after the races.
Lauren Handley, volunteer for Shattered Magazine, explains how she sees the beauty in the meaning behind the event.
“Even though I’m not participating, I’m standing in honor of that family member who has survived, and I’m standing amongst others who are here for the same celebration,” Handley states.
The 5K, which began at 8 a.m., honored those taken by breast cancer and those currently battling it, while the Survivor’s Walk, which began at 9:45 a.m., celebrated those who fought and won against breast cancer.
Liz Hurley watched for the runners from the finish line, and gave each one a high-five as they crossed the line.
She also led the Survivor’s Walk, which was lined with pink luminaries labeled with the names of breast cancer victims.
Kyleen Edger ran the 5K for her aunt who just went through chemotherapy and for one of her close friends who has dealt with breast cancer.
Edger’s whole family ran the race together, she explains. “My eighty year old grandfather even ran the race today. He always manages to beat me too!”
The event not only flooded the streets of Huntsville with pink tutu’s, t-shirts, and sneakers; it filled the streets with thousands of stories as well.
Helen Wells, a survivor of breast cancer, attended the race this past Saturday and shared her story.
“I had breast cancer in 1990 and then again in 2010—almost exactly twenty years to the date.”
Wells mentioned how her husband always liked a nice figure, so when she had her double mastectomy, she worried about his approval.
She shared that after the mastectomy she presented herself to her husband, asking him if he could deal with the way she now looked.
“‘Absolutely,’ he said to me. ‘I love you,’” Wells stated with tears in her eyes.
Though it’s unfortunate that so many individuals are subject to the harsh effects of breast cancer, events like the Ribbon Run bring a community together in an effort to battle against it.
“[Breast cancer] touches the masses,” Hurley admits.
And with the sea of pink that flows through not only Huntsville but through communities all over the nation, comes a sea of reasons to keep fighting for a cure and an end to breast cancer.
