All for the cure
Published: May 8, 2005
As in previous years, many of the estimated 25,000 people who took part Saturday in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Peoria toted cameras.
This year’s pictures, however, will include the men and children in the lives of the women who walked as survivors of breast cancer, in support of others who are battling the disease or in tribute to those who have succumbed to it.
For the first time in the 20-year history of the Peoria Komen event, men were invited to walk beside women or run in the men’s section of the race. Children had their own T-shirts designed by their peers and a special tent with activities designed to amuse them.
Mark Goldstein, a 17-year breast cancer survivor, has been waiting a long time to participate in the Peoria event, his 150th race to date. Goldstein, 77, of New Jersey said he travels throughout the country to races affiliated with the Susan G. Komen Foundation that have long been co-ed.
“It’s awesome that men can walk with women now in Peoria,” Goldstein said. “We share with them everything. In previous years we were spectators; now we’re participants.”
Barbara Loppnow’s husband, William, also is glad he no longer has to stand on the sidelines and show only moral support with his Three Miles of Men sign.
“I think it’s time men are involved,” he said. The couple was accompanied by Andrea, a daughter-in-law from Minneapolis.
This year the Three Miles of Men section for men who carry signs included women and was renamed Three Miles of Friends. The numbers of participants in that section of the event was about the same as last year’s, said Philip Lockwood, race co-chairman.
While Lockwood estimated that a total of 25,000 participated in Saturday’s combined race events, he cautioned that figure is preliminary.
“We won’t know the actual numbers until later” this week, he said. “We changed the way we do things to simplify the registration for the volunteers, so that means a lot of people who signed up toward the end of the week were not included” in the initial estimate.
The main race event was opened to men to raise even more money for breast cancer research. But Jordan Maricle, Lockwood’s co-chairwoman, said even those figures haven’t been tallied.
“We’ve been so busy we haven’t had time to do that yet,” she said, adding, “We ran out of T-shirts for the kids’ event.”
Children had their own youth-sized apple green T-shirts and a tent set up for face painting and crafts. Kids Konnected, a support group for children who have been affected by a family member with breast cancer, helped design the shirts and the logo on all the Kids for the Cure banners and promotional material.
“We didn’t expect this many kids,” said Kristen Kopinski, who coordinated that part of the race. “We had 20 kids in line for face painting every time we looked.”
The crafts, too, were popular with kids like Hannah Tomsovic, 6, who painted a bookmark shaped in the famous pink ribbon logo.
“This is for Mummy,” she said, referring to her mother, Diane Tomsovic, carrying 1-year-old Melissa. Hannah’s grandmother Joan Trotter also participated.
Race day itself was clearly a joyous event, despite the fact that the whole reason for the event is the devastation and the trauma left in the wake of the disease. With the weather cooperating, merchants set up tents and distributed all kinds of food, drinks and gimmicks to add to the carnival atmosphere at the Metro Centre, which is race day headquarters. On the main stage, a live band performed.
Families like the Paynes of Peoria, including eight men and 12 women, teased each other and bubbled with high spirits as they walked along Glen Avenue.
“We’re walking in memory of my mom, Sharon Payne, an eight-year survivor,” Shalonda Payne said as she strode beside daughters Nakira and Arnecia, who assisted 5-year-old Amorah.
“The guys are all glad to be here with us,” Shalonda said. “They’ve been waiting to join us for a long time.”
Nate Hurn said he and his stepfather, Dennis Brinker of Bartonville, have been involved in the event for a number of years and were glad to join his mother, Suzanne Brinker, who participates in honor of her mother.
“I think it’s phenomenal that men can join in,” Hurn said.
Perhaps no one knows just how phenomenal it really is to live each day unless he or she has survived cancer or another major disease. Just ask Penny Koch of Peoria. On Friday she celebrated her 59th birthday, but a more important milestone occurred on April 13, when she completed her first year free of cancer and its life-draining treatments since she was diagnosed with the disease.
“Chemotherapy leaves you completely drained and is pure hell,” Koch said. “I sympathize with anybody who’s ever been through it because all you can do is sit, and even to get up and stand up is quite a chore.”
Yet after 2 1/2 months of sitting, Koch went back to her passion, the tennis court, which brought her back from the brink of her own personal hell.
“With the chemo, I was so sick I could not move, but I also wanted to play tennis, and I didn’t want anyone to take my place on the tennis court, and I believe this helped me,” she said.
Doctors told her the increased activity apparently boosted her blood levels and expedited her recovery, she said. Koch is now assisting the Middle Illinois Tennis Association District USA League by coordinating league teams at The Clubs at River City. She also heads a USA League Tennis Women’s 6.5 Combo Doubles Team. Koch’s supporters include her husband, Dave, four sons and their wives and five grandchildren.
The area around the race arena reflected the personalities of the participants, many of whom formed teams to honor a co-worker or loved one. Some of them designed their own uniforms, sporting electric green shirts and fire engine-red shirts in addition to the events’ traditional pink.
All 75 members of the Higgins and Heller families from El Paso and Pontiac, for instance, wore leis, grass skirts or some kind of Hawaii-themed outfit to honor Cheryl Heller Higgins, who is still undergoing chemotherapy.
“I think it’s a good deal that we can all join in and support her,” said Adam Heller, 20, a nephew.
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