Editor's Note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Keep reading the Crestview News Bulletin throughout the month for news and feature stories about this issue.
CRESTVIEW — Tim Grandberry hopes no one has to hear the words his wife, Pamela, did on June 7, 2010: “I’m sorry; you have cancer.”
So the Crestview resident is supporting the Oct. 18 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Uptown Station in Fort Walton Beach. Registration for the 3.1-mile run-walk begins at 8 a.m. The event begins at 9 a.m. Residents can walk alone or with a team.
If sponsored walkers and teams reach fundraising goals, they could earn awards.
For instance, "our team (United for a Cure's) goal is $2,100," Grandberry said. "Your donation of $25, $15, $10 or whatever you can afford will help."
Donors can make checks payable to the American Cancer Society and send them to Grandberry, 1241 Gabrielle Drive, Crestview, FL 32536 to support United for a Cure. Alternatively, they can visit www.makingstrideswalk.org, click "Find a Team," enter the team's name they want to support and click "Donate."
Making Strides of the Emerald Coast currently has 96 teams and 351 participants who have raised more than $44,000, according to the Making Strides website. All proceeds benefit breast health programs, services and research.
Approximately one in eight women will have invasive breast cancer in her lifetime; approximately one in 36 women will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society's website.
Grandberry wasn't always so passionate about the cause, he said.
"It wasn’t until my wife began her battle with breast cancer that I realized the importance of joining the fight," he said. "Our team … began in October 2010. Since then, we have won numerous awards, such as most money raised, largest team and Top Online Fundraiser team."
But the awards mean nothing until cancer is a memory, Grandberry said.
WHAT: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
WHEN: 9 a.m. Oct. 18; register at 8 a.m.
WHERE: Uptown Station, 99 Eglin Parkway N.E., Fort Walton Beach
Sign up to walk as an individual or register a team>>
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview man among others 'making strides' against breast cancer