More than 300 breast cancer survivors and 6,000 racers flocked to Alton Baker Park Sunday morning to help raise money and awareness at Eugene’s second-annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
“For any young woman or man, there’s hope and promise,” event participant and a 30-year cancer survivor Sharon Quest said. “And a positive attitude doesn’t hurt either.”
There was plenty of positive energy at the event which started and ended outside Autzen Stadium. The venue, typically green and yellow, was flooded with various shades of pink as participants sported lipstick, sequins and wigs — and even a poodle — all adorned in the cause’s official color. Before the race began at 7:30 a.m., a live band played songs by Queen, The Go-Go’s, Bonnie Raitt and Prince@@checked names@@ while survivors wearing T-shirts took photos with the Duck.
In all, the event featured 191 teams as well as hundreds of individual participants. So far, the event has raised $365,000 for Komen Oregon,@@http://www.survivorcrop.com/2011/03/survivor-crop-2011/@@ though donations will still be accepted until Nov. 19. More than 60 students from the University volunteered at the event, including students from UO Women in Business, University Dance Team and Beta Alpha Psi. Student groups also participated in teams for the walk and run. The University’s Public Interest Public Service program and National Student Speech Language Hearing Association came to support the cause.
“We wanted to come together as a small group to serve the larger community,” member of NSSLHA and University senior Mary Brown said.
The event focused on raising awareness about breast cancer in its early stages and in young people. President Richard Lariviere and his wife Jan Lariviere were co-chairs of the event and part of the “Ducks Go Pink” team. Lariviere’s sister is a three-time breast cancer survivor.
“When you’re 18 years old, it’s hard to imagine this being a factor in your life,” Lariviere said. “But it is very important for young women to have medical check-ups.”

Journalism professor at the University, Leigh Anne Jasheway,@@http://www.linkedin.com/pub/leigh-anne-jasheway/4/239/a17@@ also participated in the event. Jasheway was part of the “Slug Queen” team and was decked out in a checkered pink and black dress. Jasheway, who is friends with breast cancer survivors, said it is never too early to pay attention to breast health. She encourages students to talk openly about their health.
Lane County has the highest incidence of late-stage breast cancer diagnosis in the state of Oregon. This is largely because the county has a large amount of uninsured people, according to Christine McDonald, CEO of Komen Oregon.@@http://www.komenoregon.org/Donate/Why_Komen.shtml@@ To help prevent late-stage diagnoses, McDonald said that students and young women should not be afraid to talk about the disease with their parents or doctors.
“Teaching and empowering women is so critical,” McDonald said. “Women must know that they are their own advocate.”
But participants at the event said the disease is not only about women. University sophomore Tudor Bertea volunteered at the event and is a part of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Tudor+Bertea@@
“It’s vital that both men and women support this cause,” Bertea said. “Just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you’re exempt from breast cancer.”
Many of the University’s groups plan to participate in next year’s event. Reny Ferrari, a junior at the University and member of NSSLHA team came to honor her mother, who survived breast cancer after being diagnosed four years ago.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Reny+Ferrari@@
“I encourage students to do this,” Ferrari said. “It’s a great way to make donations to a good cause. I plan on coming back next year.”