An amazing thing happens this month in Columbus, as it has for many years. On May 19, tens of thousands of men, women and children will gather together – people of all shapes and sizes, all races and ages, moving forward shoulder to shoulder through the streets of downtown. All of them out early on a Saturday morning for a different reason, but bound by a common cause: To fight the monster called breast cancer.

This month marks the 15th anniversary of Komen Columbus and the Race for the Cure. Organizers estimate a record 35,000 people will participate. Thirty-five thousand! Columbus’ event is the 10th largest Komen race in the world.

Why is it that Columbus has embraced the cause with such compassion?
Komen Columbus Executive Director Katie Carter says it’s personal.

“Everyone knows someone – a friend, a co-worker a sister, a neighbor – who has been touched by this disease,” she says.

And the statistics show she’s probably right. More than 9,600 Ohio women will be diagnosed with the disease this year. That’s 26 cases per day, 185 every week, more than one an hour. And men are not immune.

That’s a lot of people facing a life-changing diagnosis. But when you look closely at the numbers, Ohio is actually doing better than most states.

Ohio actually has a low-to-moderate incidence rate for breast cancer. Our state ranks 22nd in the number of cases.

Carter says that proves the Race for the Cure is making a difference. “We’re starting to see the trickle down effect on the education and outreach we’ve been doing,” she says.

That’s the good news. On the flip side, more Ohioans die from the disease. The latest statistics from the National Cancer Institute show the Buckeye State now ranking 4th in the nation for breast cancer mortality. The only areas losing more people to the disease are Louisiana, the District of Columbia and New Jersey.

“What that tells us is that it we have got to find a way to reach people in outlying communities who aren’t getting treated or screened,” Carter says.

Money goes a long way toward saving lives. Columbus raises a lot of it through the Race for the Cure, nearly $9 million dollars over the past 15 years. Carter says the money is spent on research and local screening, education and treatment programs.

“We’ve doubled the number of grants awarded since last year, and more requests for money are coming in every day. The need is greater than ever,” she says.

This year alone, registration fees and pledges from the race will help fund 35 programs in 21 counties, and will touch the lives of 85,000 women.

This includes programs like the “Asian Women Think Pink” project, which provides culturally sensitive outreach for Asian American women. Or the “Think Pink” initiative which will increase mammography screening rates for women in Meigs County. And the “James Stitching Sisters” whose only goal is to deliver handmade quilts to each newly diagnosed breast cancer patient receiving chemotherapy at The James Cancer Hospital.

Whether you are among the masses that move slowly through the streets of Columbus this month in a show of solidarity, or are standing on the sidelines cheering on family and friends, know that your support is making a difference.

“I think it’s incredible, there are no words to describe the feeling you have that day,” Carter says. “Except maybe ‘wow!’”

Watch Andrea Cambern on WBNS-10TV Eyewitness News weekdays at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and at 10 p.m. on WWHO-TV.

Save the Date!
The 15th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is May 19 at 8:30 a.m. starting at 1 Nationwide Plaza, Downtown Columbus. To register, or for more information, visit www.komencolumbus.org.