MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Leading into Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is commemorated all month-long in October, the Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative held its 8th Annual Pink Walk and 5K Run. The event took place Sept. 22nd at the Miami Dade College North Campus.
A record-breaking number of participants, including students, families and corporate employees, walked or ran to raise funds for the local nonprofit, which helps make preventative care for breast cancer accessible to at-risk women.
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Founded by breast cancer survivor, Andrea Ivory, in 2005, the Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative provides grassroots community services, such as no cost mammograms, health education and patient navigation. It began with door-to-door outreach campaigns across South Florida neighborhoods. Today, it addresses breast and heart health by bringing services online, to the workplace and college campuses.
“I realized through my own experience that early detection and comprehensive care were essential factors in the successful fight against breast cancer disease,” said Ivory. “I also realized that access to both is a privilege not everyone shares. Soon after my recovery, I wanted to do all I could to help break down barriers to health care for vulnerable populations.”
Each year, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and of those, more than 43,000 will die from the disease.
For more information about the Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative, visit flbreasthealth.com,