Race Against Breast Cancer marks 30 years of saving lives - WIBW

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TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Katy Nelson says a shower changed her life.

“I noticed a lump that was not there previously,” she recalled.

It was the Race Against Breast Cancer that saved her life.

“The doctor told me, ‘Well, I need to send you over for a mammogram,’ and I had already decided I was not doing that. I was not putting more financial burden on my family,” Katy said.

Katy was 30-years-old, with four young children. She and her husband didn’t have health insurance. A lady in the doctor’s office gave her a pamphlet for Race Against Breast Cancer. Katy called, and the organization paid for a mammogram that led to her breast cancer diagnosis.

“It was aggressive. I was in surgery in less than 48 hours,” Katy said.

Stormont Vail’s director of imaging services Connie Wagers says stories like Katy’s are why the hospital is so committed to the race. 30 years ago, former Jane C. Stormont Women’s Center Director Billie Hall noticed a gap.

“There were women within our community that could not be scheduled, could not afford mammograms,” Wagers said.

Hall reached out to her Stormont bosses, St. Francis hospital’s leaders, the Junior League, and American Cancer Society - and the Race was born. Every year, Stormont employees take the extra step with their ‘Give Breast Cancer the Boot’ challenge, raising additional dollars for the cause.

“We’re 30 years out and we’re still going strong!” Wagers said. “It isn’t just a job. It speaks to the compassion that (the employees) have, the concern that they have for individuals within our community.”

Dr. Mehmood Hashmi, an oncologist at Cotton O’Neil Cancer Center, says the extra efforts to ensure all women have access to testing for early detection are crucial.

“Some cancers are very small and women cannot detect by just palpation, and they are deep in the breast so mammogram is very important,” Dr. Hashmi said. “It’s better to diagnose it early so we can treat it with less treatment as well as improve the survival of the patients.”

Katy now volunteers for RABC. She says every person who toes the starting line could help someone win the biggest race of all.

“I would not be here if it wasn’t for the Race Against Breast Cancer,” Katy said. “When I see people show up, those people are here to save their community. What better way to help your neighbors than to save their lives or the lives of their children?”

The 30th anniversary RABC is Friday, Sept. 17 at Lake Shawnee’s Reynolds Lodge and Tinman Circle. Events - including a silent auction - begin at 3pm, with the 5K run/walk stepping off at 6 pm. Discounted entry fees end Sept. 10.

You can sign up and get information about RABC’s no-cost mammogram program at www.RABCtopeka.org.

Copyright 2021 WIBW. All rights reserved.

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