Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk: Thousands join those impacted by breast cancer

AUSTIN, Texas – About 5,000 people showed up to the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink walk in Austin Sunday morning to support those impacted by breast cancer.

“I am a cancer thriver,” shouted Helen Alexander.

Alexander was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2019.

“We knew that this was temporary, and we just went through it. They went to treatment with me, they prepared meals, they had flowers,” Alexander said.

On Sunday, her family joined her to celebrate her successful battle. She’s now two years cancer free.

“I’ve always ran for cancer’s fight and survivors before, but being diagnosed with cancer myself, it was a different side, but I felt powerful, I felt empowered,” Alexander said.

Survivors, fighters, and those who have lost loved ones walked together during the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink event.

“We’re just walking for men and women who are fighting such a horrible disease,” Alexander said.

According to the CDC, about 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and about 2,400 in men each year. The Event Chair said everyone knows someone impacted by breast cancer. For her, it’s her mom.

“It definitely makes it a personal touch, I want to make sure she is proud and enjoys the event just like all of our survivors and the participants as well,” Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk Event Chair Amanda McCann said.

While many sported their pink, they each had a bandana with different colors on them.

“Pink is obviously the color for breast cancer, but for Susan G. Komen we have action which is orange, community which is blue, care which is green and research which is purple and each one of those pillars is integral into the full scope of curing breast cancer,” McCann said.

At last check, the event raised almost $760,000.

“For the Central Texas area, it stays in the Central Texas area as well as the national. Our national is the one that does a lot of the research, over 70 percent of the research that is done is for metastatic breast cancer, so you’ll definitely see these funds go back into the community and also research,” McCann said.

“We all need as much support as possible,” Janet Ross, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, said.