This week, over 9,000 Atlanta residents laced up their walking shoes and gathered at Atlantic Station for the 26th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.
The walking event, hosted by the American Cancer Society, successfully raised nearly $750,000 in support of breast cancer research.
In addition to raising money for a good cause, the annual walk also honored and commemorated the hundreds of “breast cancer survivors, thrivers, and caregivers” that were in attendance, said the American Cancer Society in a press release.
“More than 313,510 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2024, including 9,840 here in Georgia,” said Lisa Obser, senior development manager for the American Cancer Society. “This event is a moving example of how we can make huge progress to help end breast cancer as we know it, for everyone.”
The Making Strides Against Cancer event was founded back in 1984 by breast cancer survivor Margery Gould Rath in Massachusetts.
Each year, the “walk-a-thon” accumulates money to fund groundbreaking breast cancer studies, along with providing crucial support services for patients such as free rides to treatment, complimentary lodging and access to the American Cancer Society’s 24/7 cancer helpline.
According to the American Cancer Society, over the past 30 years, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events nationwide have raised around $1 billion in funding — which has coincided with breast cancer mortality rates decreasing by 44% since 1989.
The American Cancer Society says that donations for the event are still being accepted and can be made at www.MakingStridesWalk.org/Atlanta.
