Breast melanoma survivors, friends walk with hopes for treatment - SFGate

photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Dan Matlin brings a stuffed Eeyore to San Francisco's Embarcadero at Battery street to cheer for members of the Avon 39 stroll to conclusion Breast cancer.

Dan Matlin brings a stuffed Eeyore to San Francisco's Embarcadero at Battery street to cheer for participants of the Avon 39 walk to end Breast melanoma.

image: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Amanda Hays wipes away tears as the names of breast cancer victims are examine before the delivery of the 39-mile walk, which is a marathon Saturday and half marathon Sunday after a night in a Corte Madera campground. less Amanda Hays wipes away tears as the names of breast melanoma victims are read earlier than the delivery of the 39-mile stroll, which is a marathon Saturday and half marathon Sunday after an evening in a Corte Madera ... more picture: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

more than 1,000 participants go away castle Mason all over the breast melanoma walk.

greater than 1,000 individuals leave castle Mason during the breast cancer walk.

photograph: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

members carry their fingers during the hole ceremony for the breast melanoma walk.

contributors elevate their arms all over the hole ceremony for the breast cancer stroll.

image: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Breast cancer survivors, chums stroll with hopes for treatment

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Marilyn Luma embarked on the trek up and down the steep hills of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, via Marin County — and the entire approach again — to honor the twentieth anniversary of her "stage four, get-your-affairs-in-order" breast cancer diagnosis.

Eleni Hulman made the identical hike for the americans she knows who had been affected by breast cancer, their names written on a chunk of notebook paper that she tucked in a pouch stored close to her body.

Martha Domont walked in remembrance of her sister, who died from breast cancer in 2000, and of her personal battle with the same disorder five years later.

In all, 1,900 individuals laced up their running footwear, threw on their brightest purple apparel and descended on the streets of San Francisco for Saturday morning's delivery of the Avon 39 stroll to conclusion Breast melanoma — a 39.3-mile, two-day walk to lift funds, focus and guide across the sickness.

"The walk is not easy," pointed out Jill Surdyka, an Avon 39 national ambassador. "but we all recognize combating breast cancer isn't handy either."

About 1 in 8 women within the U.S., or virtually 250,000 each year, will eventually strengthen breast cancer, based on the American cancer Society.

"that you can't consult with one person who hasn't been touched by means of it," Surdyka pointed out. "That's why here is so vital."

The walk begun at castle Mason at 6 a.m. and despatched contributors on a direction that wrapped through the metropolis and over the Golden Gate Bridge to a campground in Corte Madera, the place they would spend the nighttime earlier than making the hike returned on Sunday.

To participate in the walk, registrants were required to elevate at the least $1,800, which matches toward native and countrywide breast cancer care and analysis.

"raising the funds is the convenient part," mentioned Luma, a 69-yr-historic resident of Watsonville. It become her "at the least eighth year" of running, she referred to.

"I feel strongly that i was allowed to live to tell the tale for a rationale," Luma stated, taking a breather after making it up the hill to Lafayette Park, mile 6.7 of the 26.2-mile route for the day. "I in reality consider like this is my job now."

Luma first bought involved with the walk after attempting to find an outlet to reveal help for others with the disease she had survived. After a now not-so-successful attempt at fitting a volunteer counselor, she realized the Avon 39 turned into a stronger healthy.

For this year's walk, Luma assembled a crew of pals and members of the family who wore tutus and tie-dyed shorts. together they raised over $15,000.

In complete, this yr's Avon 39 walk in San Francisco raised about $4.four million.

Hulman, a forty nine-year-old San Mateo resident and Avon representative, joined the experience for the primary time in 2006 when her cousin turned into clinically determined with breast cancer.

shortly after that walk, Hulman found that two moms from her children' preschool also had been clinically determined with the sickness. Two 12 months ago, Hulman's mom changed into clinically determined. She later found out her grandmother and terrific-aunt had at one aspect had breast melanoma.

"So I determined to do the stroll once again," Hulman stated.

On Saturday, Hulman carried a listing of 14 ladies who have fought the disease.

That breast melanoma is so widespread in fact made raising $1,800 lots less complicated than she'd expected.

"should you beginning requesting funds, you recognize what number of individuals have such amazing ties to this disease," Hulman observed. "It's mind-blowing how many people this touches."

Domont, a sixty three-12 months-old San Anselmo resident, participated during this year's walk for smartly over her 10th consecutive time — together with through her own adventure with breast cancer.

After dropping her sister, Mitzi, to the disease, Domont become clinically determined in 2005. through a series of surgical procedures and countless rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, Domont said she under no circumstances gave up hope. and she or he certainly not stopped running.

"I've had my thyroid eliminated, a double mastectomy, the complete gamut," she mentioned. "but right here i am eleven years in a while my 760th mile for Avon. I actually have stored strolling and that i will preserve doing the walk till i will be able to't stroll anymore."

Kevin Schultz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff author. e-mail: kschultz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kevinedschultz