Komen walkers draw cheers, support in Mt. Prospect
Mary O'Connor's mother died of breast cancer years ago, but the St. Charles woman knew exactly what advice Ann O'Connor would have given her daughter during the grueling Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure, which passed through Mount Prospect Saturday.
“Buck up and walk another mile,” O'Connor said with a laugh.
Ann O'Connor dropped from 150 to 89 pounds in her painful battle against the disease in 1983.
“She did all the chemo but there wasn't the knowledge and medicine we have today,” Mary O'Connor said. “She thought you must always put up a good fight.”
Finding a cure for cancer is why O'Connor slogged it out in Saturday's heat during the walk, which helps fund breast cancer education and research. But as she rounded Sunset Park, she found another reason to keep going.
Members of the Mount Prospect Cheerleading Club greeted O'Connor with water, a pep rally and the news they'd raised $800 on her behalf.
The cheerleading club, open to girls ages 5 to 14, selects a walker to sponsor each year and raises money by selling T-shirts, plus hosts a refreshment tent. They picked O'Connor after she ran into a cheer club volunteer at Sunset Park in 2010.
“It's a good lesson for the girls to be civic-minded,” club board member Debbie Grogan said.
Cheerleader Brianna Eggebrecht, 14, draws inspiration and a lesson from the walkers. “I think it's important to cherish all the moments you have because when you see people walking by who have been affected by this it's really sad,” she said.
Throughout Mount Prospect, residents and civic organizations rolled out the red carpet for Komen participants, with banners, water, cheers and music while police and firefighters added pink to their uniforms for the day.
About 19,000 walkers passed through town, estimated village event organizer Tarina Wimmer, whose mother died of breast cancer at age 62. “She was a very special lady — we lost her way too soon,” Wimmer said.
JoAnn Manders of Lake Villa and three friends from Lake County, whose husbands work for fire and police departments, formed the Guns N' Hoses 4 a Cure team.
Manders, whose sister-in-law was 32 when diagnosed with cancer, said she hopes the event reminds women of all ages to conduct regular breast self-examinations.
“You're never too young,” she said.
It was Vasavi Chakka's first 60-mile walk, in honor of a friend recovering from a mastectomy.
“I've got a few blisters,” she admitted, adding it's nothing to what her friend has endured. “She's recovering very well and she's mentally strong.”
For information about Susan G. Komen fundraising efforts by the Mount Prospect Cheerleading Club, visit gompcc.com. For details on the Guns N' Hoses team, visit gunsnhoses4acure.webs.com. 26371713The Calvary Academy Cheerleaders of South Holland cheered the walkers on Saturday as the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk passed through Mount Prospect. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 16601591Michael Hong of Mount Prospect and his two children, Sammy, 6, and Julia, 2, cheer on the walkers at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk on Saturday in Mount Prospect. Michael is supporting his wife, Susan, who is walking on behalf of their friends and family affected by breast cancer. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 26731949Elaine Zager of Bolingbrook created signs supporting the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk passing through Mount Prospect on Saturday morning. Her sister is a seven-year cancer survivor. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 22051721Several family, friends, and businesses supported the walkers as the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk passed through Mount Prospect on Saturday morning. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 21551309Betty Graham of Glenview cheers on the walkers at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk Saturday in Mount Prospect. Bettys daughter Christy Happ is walking, and Betty and her husband, Richard, are cheering on their daughter every step of the way. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 21071339The Calvary Academy Cheerleaders of South Holland cheered the walkers on Saturday as the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk passed through Mount Prospect. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 19241363The Calvary Academy Cheerleaders of South Holland cheered the walkers on Saturday as the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk passed through Mount Prospect. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 16691282Judy Abraham of Streamwood cheers on the walkers at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk. Judys stepdaughter, Melissa, is walking in the event on behalf of her mother, Joyce Lee, who died in 1998 from breast cancer. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 11471357Lynn Kostel, left, Shannon Curatolo, middle, and Laura Davis stop to pose for a picture during the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk as it passed through Mount Prospect Saturday. The three are part of a group of six from Arizona that traveled to Chicago to support the walk. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 12221417Debbie Horberg, left, of Skokie and her sister, Lori Dube of Evanston, cheer on the walkers at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk on Saturday in Mount Prospect. The two are supporting their sister, Ellen Rosen-Caplan of Evanston, who is a breast cancer survivor walking in the event. Kristin Ackmann/kackmann@dailyherald.com 38472537Photo courtesy of Ron GodbyMary OConnor of St. Charles greets members of the Mount Prospect Cheerleading Club who sponsored her on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure. The club chose OConnor after she met a former employee of her event-planning firm who is on the club board at the event last year.