SAN ANTONIO – The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure marked its 20th year Saturday, and while the race has gotten bigger, the goal has not changed: Cut the number of breast cancer deaths in half by 2026.
A beautiful sight, it's not just a sea of pink, it's a symbol of unity against breast cancer. The cause of the disease is unknown and, at this time, there unfortunately is no cure.
One in 8 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, women like Gloria Aguilar and Lisa Kerkez.
"I'm grateful for the last 30 years that I've been given a second opportunity to life is how I see it," Alguilar said. "I was very young when I was diagnosed at 29, so having a 30-year anniversary, I wanted to come out and celebrate."
"Komen has done so much to help me and my family pre-cancer and post-cancer financially with doctors appointments, transportation, co-pays, and meds," Kerkez said.
It was an emotional event with many sharing stories of survival and loved ones they've lost. Every 13 minutes a woman in the United States is lost to breast cancer, a frightening statistic that is very real to many of those participating in the Race for the Cure.
"Today I walk in honor of my beautiful pink sister, Letty Rivas, who was looking forward to getting here, be with us today, and yesterday, she earned her angel wings, so she is looking down on us," Kerkez said.
Since 1997, the Race for the Cure and other events from the Susan G. Komen San Antonio have raised more than $17 million, money to help local breast cancer patients with screenings and treatments while also raising money for breast cancer research.
The people at Saturday's race say that's their goal too, to give people a fighting chance against breast cancer.
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