1,000 participate in Great Pink Run, raise funds for metastatic breast cancer research
More than 1,000 women, men and children participated in Chicago's inaugural Great Pink Run with Glanbia on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 to raise awareness and funding for metastatic breast cancer research being done at the University of Chicago's Ludwig Center in collaboration with researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The event raised more than $110,000.
Irish Olympian Sonia O'Sullivan led the 10K-certified run, and WGN-TV Anchor Dina Bair kicked-off the 5K fun run and walk.
Research A Cure, the Chicago-based nonprofit that brought the Great Pink Run from Ireland to Chicago for its U.S. debut, will donate proceeds from the event to the University of Chicago Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research in support of the research Professor Geoffrey Greene, Ph.D., is undertaking with Dr. Leonie Young at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. These two internationally-recognized research teams are collaborating to identify and test novel treatments for metastatic breast cancer. This particular form of breast cancer is where a recurrence occurs in a patient, often within another organ of the body but relating back to the original breast cancer diagnosis. This disease is often difficult to treat and requires new and more effective approaches to enhance the longevity and quality of life for women and men diagnosed with this disease.
One in eight U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Of those diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, 30 percent will later develop metastatic disease. The American Cancer Society estimates that 2,600 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.
"Unfortunately, we all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer," said Aisling Hurley, president, Research A Cure, which was established in 2019 in Chicago to raise funding to support international collaborative breast cancer research between U.S. and Irish Centers of Excellence. "By bringing the brightest minds from around the world together to share knowledge, we can transform breast cancer from an often-fatal disease to a treatable illness that can maintained long term, for women and men across the globe."
Dr. Greene has dedicated his life to breast cancer research and has contributed significantly to the medical world's understanding of factors that drive the growth and behavior of some breast cancers, and how to target them with drugs, including those in current practice.
"Scientific advances are only made through fostering collaboration and bringing together experts from multiple disciplines to tackle our biggest challenges. The funding provided through the Great Pink Run will allow the Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research at University of Chicago to continue to capitalize on our expertise and resources as we partner with the Royal College of Surgeons to test new therapeutic approaches for metastatic breast cancer," said Kathleen Goss, Ph.D., assistant director for administration, University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.
UChicago Medicine diagnoses and treats more than 7,500 cancer patients a year at its Comprehensive Cancer Center in Hyde Park, as well as at locations at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, the Center for Advanced Care in Orland Park, and Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey.
The inaugural Chicago Great Pink Run with Glanbia was made possible through the generous support of sponsors Glanbia plc, GE Healthcare, UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Care Centers, Abbvie, Entercom and JC Decaux. The Great Pink Run with Glanbia has been raising money for international breast cancer research in Ireland since 2011.
For more information about Research A Cure, visit www.researchacure.com.
Information about UChicago Comprehensive Cancer Care Centers can be found at https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/cancer.
For more about the Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research, log onto https://www.ludwigcancerresearch.org/location/chicago/.
To learn about the Great Pink Run with Glanbia, visit www.greatpinkrun.com