— from Dottie Cornelius —
Photo: Medford Mail Tribune
Long and steep hills, blisters, sore feet, and walking 60-miles over three days — I know I’m crazy, but I’m preparing to walk the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the 10th time! I can’t help it; there are still no final and gentle cures for breast cancer, and I can’t stand the thought of hearing about another friend or relative having cancer says Dottie Cornelius, team captain for Island Girls, a Susan G. Komen 3-Day team that walks 60 miles over 3-Days on September 14, 15, and 16.
This year is a very special year,” Cornelius explained, “because our team consists of four generations of strong women: my mother, two sisters, a niece and two great-nieces. We are all joining together to see cancer’s demise. Our ages range from 17 to 85! Breast cancer has been significant in our family. I was diagnosed in December of 2014; six weeks later my sister Betty was diagnosed, and then eleven months later, my remaining sister Lynn was told she also had breast cancer. Not only has it affected my immediate family, but I have had three aunts and three cousins who are survivors.
In a larger picture, 200,000 women and men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Forty-thousand will not survive. I think we are at a time where new therapies are being discovered, such as immunotherapy and targeting certain types of cancer cells that are leading to cures that are effective and gentle. However, our purpose is not only about cures; if more people can get access to testing and treatment, lives can be saved. There is much more work in both areas to accomplish. Your donation can help find a cure. Your donation could help a patient survive.
Over our team’s ten-year involvement with the Komen 3-Day, Island Girls has raised over $106,000; but we are not interested in stopping anytime soon. So, we are asking for support for our passion to find cures for cancer and financially supporting underserved breast cancer patients by donating toward somebody on our team. It means so much to my family for four generations to cross the finish line making a statement, as a family, we want cancer met with cures and we want to see patients supported during treatment, says Cornelius.
Each team member must raise a minimum of $2,300.00. This means our total fundraising obligation is $18,400. At this point, we still have approximately $8,000 more to raise and with only 60 days left until the event, we are working hard to get meet our goal. Anybody can donate to our team at www.the3day.org/goto/IslandGirls2018. Pick a team member whose total is under $2,300 and make a donation, or if you prefer to write a check, you can make the check payable to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day and attach it to a donation sheet that is printable from the same website. Cornelius says she is always open for questions and if you have concerns or questions to please email her at dottiecornelius@me.com.
