| Tweet |
A new cancer benefit launching this month involves three days, 30 miles and one great cause.
When Sandra Lunceford found a lump in her breast in 2004, she was concerned but not frightened. After having the small tumor removed and going through six weeks of radiation, she said she “really didn’t see it as big deal.”
But two weeks before her annual mammogram in 2008, Lunceford did a self-exam and found another lump. This time, the cancer roared back.
“The fact that it came back was really scary,” said Lunceford. “They removed my lymph nodes and I underwent some serious chemotherapy.
“That’s why I encourage all women to do self-exams in addition to their mammograms,” the Bluffton woman said. “I don’t like to make a big deal out of my cancer and I do remain optimistic. But if this will help one woman out there to really be thoughtful about her body, then it’s worth it. It can happen to you, it can happen to your sister, it can happen to your mom.”
Lunceford’s courage and attitude was one of the things that inspired Laura Morgan to create the first annual LoCo Motion, a 30-mile, three-day breast cancer walk/run fundraiser that will take participants from the beaches on Hilton Head Island to historic old town Bluffton.
LoCo Motion begins on Sept. 30, when participants will traverse 10 miles around the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. On Oct. 1, the route will begin and end at the Calhoun Street Promenade in Bluffton. On Oct. 2, the 10-mile beach journey will start at Coligny Beach Circle on Hilton Head.
Along the way there will be bands, DJs and after-parties at each of the finish lines. Homes and businesses along each route will be encouraged to decorate their yards and storefronts with a pink theme. There will also be cheering stations along the way, including a “Survivor Tent” manned by one of the event’s sponsors, Hilton Head Hospital.
“There is never a bad time to celebrate cancer survivorship,” said June Kasiak-Gambla, breast care coordinator at the hospital’s Breast Health Center.
GET INVOLVED WITH LOCO MOTION
For more information on the LoCo Motion race/walk routes, registration, volunteering, sponsorships or donations, visit www.dothelocomotion.org or call 843-868-1888.
