Lansing resident Rylee Hanna, 4, rides in a wagon pulled by her mom during the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk Saturday at the Capitol. It was Rylee and her mom’s first breast cancer walk.
Even after working as a medical assistant at a cancer center and having a family history of breast cancer, being diagnosed with the disease came as a shock to Jan Kirchen.
“It’s always a surprise,” said Kirchen, of Grand Ledge, Mich., who works at Breslin Cancer Center.
Five years after her diagnosis, Kirchen said she is doing well and wants to support breast cancer patients and survivors any way she can.
She joined 220 other breast cancer survivors and more than 2,700 supporters at the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Saturday at the Capitol.
The annual event raised more than $189,000 to support American Cancer Society research and programs that work toward supporting patients and finding a cure for cancer, said Kelly Powell, director of the American Cancer Society’s mid-Michigan office.
This year’s walk brought out about 1,000 more people than last year’s, Powell said.
“More and more people are realizing we have to do something about it and fight back,” she said, adding that breast cancer is an important issue for everyone, regardless of their connection to it.
Cancer is an issue people should be aware of, said Shawna Mack, a graduate student who organized a group of walkers for the event. Mack also volunteered at the American Cancer Society last summer.
“Cancer is so prevalent in this society that we really need to find a cure,” she said. “Breast cancer is growing in the number of cases per year.”
Although she has not been touched by breast cancer personally, Mack said it is important that everyone rallies together to find a cure. Her team raised about $1,400 for the walk.
“My favorite part about putting this event together is how many people believe in it and how strongly everyone has gotten together for it,” she said.
Breast cancer research has made strides in the past few decades, Kirchen said. She and her sister, who also was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, were able to beat a disease both of their aunts died from in the 1960s.
“Things have changed so much since then,” Kirchen said.
As a survivor, Kirchen said she can better connect to the cancer patients with whom she works.
“I always felt sympathetic, but I think when you go through it yourself, you really feel a bond with people,” she said.
It’s humbling to hear the stories of the survivors who come out for the walk, Powell said.
“They’re our heroes and our rock, and they’re the reason we do this,” she said.
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