It's Mother's Day weekend. It's one week and counting until a major event on the Susan G. Komen Michigan calendar is slated to take place, yet something is very wrong. The tragic death of Komen rally leader Denise Bohn of St. Joseph has left many of us reeling, and maybe it has inadvertently paralyzed a number of folks at the same time.
Coming into the weekend, Komen Executive Director Jennifer Jurgens told me that what should be the largest Race for the Cure in local history is struggling to even achieve a 50-percent sign-up rate compared to the same time last year. In the wake of Denise's death last month the team at Komen lost one its most ardent advocates who worked tirelessly around the clock to achieve critical mass with events like this. Lots of people have been asking. "What would Denise do?"
Anybody who has ever known the inimitable Denise Bohn easily knows the answer. She would redouble her efforts, call in every marker in sight, and beg, plead, cajole and even arm-wrestle friends, family members and even strangers on the street to join the cause…to pick up the Breast Cancer Awareness banner, to strap on their running shoes and be ready to Race for the Cure at the same time they reach for their wallet to make it happen.
Like Denise, Jennifer Jurgens is a breast cancer survivor. Jennifer lost her mother to breast cancer as a child, and Denise battled the disease furiously with the knowledge that having 10 women in her own family impacted by the disease, her daughter would likely run the risk as well. That's why she fought as hard as she did, and the pure strength that she exhibited throughout her all-too-short of a life has left the legacy of #DeniseStrong for ways for others to help today, tomorrow and well into the future.
The Race for the Cure that Denise would be so passionately promoting every day this week is scheduled for Kalamazoo next Saturday, May 14th. She was the promoter, the director, the team leader, and always a participant and competitor and she worked year after year to round up everybody within the sound of her voice to join the effort. You can join the race yourself by clicking the link below.
The Race for the Cure has provided amazing assistance to many programs over the years including the following:
- Lakeland Health Foundations through diagnostics, education, screening and transportation.
- Kalamazoo County Health & Human Services Department for diagnostics, patient navigation and screening.
- West Michigan Cancer Center through education and survivorship.
The Race for the Cure will take place at Homer Stryker Field in Kalamazoo, with organizers inviting everyone to "Help us Strike Out Breast Cancer in Southwest Michigan. Here's the schedule for race day:
- 7:00 AM – 8:30 AMRace Day Registration & Packet Pick-up
- 7:00 AM Race Site Open to the Public
- 7:30 AM – 10:00 AM Promise Cafe open
- 8:20 AMSurvivor Photo
- 8:30 AMKids Race
- 8:40 AMSurvivor & Fighter Stroll
- 8:45 AMOpening Ceremony at Stage
- 9:05 AM RACE START 5K Timed Runners
- 9:20 AMRACE START 5K Untimed Walkers & Community Walk
