Race for the Cure Is Team Event
Breast Cancer Survivors Cite Support of Family and Friends

By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 3, 2007

When Tammy Brooks's doctors diagnosed her breast cancer last year, the single mother said she did what came naturally: She turned to her friends at the Virginia National Guard.

Yesterday, Brooks, a 19-year veteran of the Guard, and about 100 of her fellow officers marched in the 18th annual Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure, a 5K run around the Mall that the guardsmen turned into a lively military strut.

"Sound off! Everywhere we go! People want to know! Who we are!"

Brooks, 38, of Woodbridge, said her colleagues have spent the past year caring for her and her 10-year-old son. "It happened so all of a sudden," she said. "It was just me and my son. The National Guard stepped in. . . . They made a schedule to take me to the doctor, to bring me food."

Her story typified the support systems for breast cancer patients and survivors that were evident at the race.

Spouses ran beside their wives, children joined in on behalf of their mothers and co-workers banded together to support their colleagues. More than 45,000 people participated in the event, which raised nearly $4 million for breast cancer research, screening and treatment in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

More than 3,800 survivors donned pink T-shirts to distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd. There were tears, and there was laughter, elicited by an apparent need to poke fun at and not feel conquered by the disease that is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women and that will kill an estimated 40,460 women and 450 men this year.

In the past 18 years, the annual event has raised $30 million, said Hala Moddelmog, president and chief executive of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the grass-roots network responsible for the race.

The organization began with a promise Nancy G. Brinker made to her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died of breast cancer in 1980, to help others with the disease. The group continues to grow, and Moddelmog describes a "bold new goal" to raise $1 billion in the next 10 years.

"We keep running because the race is not over," she told the crowd that gathered before the race in the shadow of the Capitol.

Participants heard from Moddelmog, Katie Couric of CBS News and others. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) talked about a group of women that has successfully lobbied the Defense Department to fund breast cancer research.

TV personality René Syler, a former anchor of "The Early Show" on CBS who underwent a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy last year for breast disease, was the mistress of ceremonies.

Before she took the stage, she walked through the crowd. "Can I get your picture? I'm going to post this on my blog," she asked a group of survivors. "And what is this group?"

"Shady Grove Adventist!" the women shouted. Six women who have bonded during their treatments at the Rockville hospital wore pink fishing caps adorned with angels.

The women asked Syler how she was doing. Syler explained that she had previously been involved in breast cancer events and fundraising because both of her parents had breast cancer. "This my first . . . ," Syler broke down, unable to finish her sentence. "Sorry."

Kimiko Sziladi, 60, a two-year survivor from Rockville, hugged Syler tight, closing her eyes as they embraced.

Later, Syler said, "I share a bond now. . . . I've been in the trenches. I know what it's like to be scared."

Yonal Delarosa understood the feeling. He said he had hidden his fears and tears from his wife, Janet, who found out three years ago that she had breast cancer. He wore a sign: "For the one I love! My wife, Janet . . . my better half."

"She was 28. I was 29. It was frightening," he said. "She's my first love."

Janet Delarosa, now 31, said yesterday's race was her first. The Frederick homemaker was joined by her husband, their three children, her mother and a friend. "It's good to know that you're loved and there are people out there who care about you."

She knew the sentiment was shared by thousands of others yesterday: the Haymarket Hotties, the Pink Ladies from Charles County and the Brooks Family Strong team, otherwise known as the National Guard.

Delarosa looked around. "It's very overwhelming to know that you're not alone," she said.