TOPINKA MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER
Comptroller joins forces with American Cancer Society
CHICAGO - Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka joined members of the American Cancer Society Monday in Chicago to highlight national Breast Cancer Awareness month and the fight for a cure. Topinka also announced that members of her staff will participate in the 12th Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks this month.
The 12th Annual Making Strides walks will be held in 16 locations in Illinois, including Aurora, Belleville, Carbondale, Cary, Champaign, Effingham, Hoffman Estates, Joliet, Libertyville, Montrose Harbor (Chicago), Orland Park, Quad Cities, Rockford, Skokie, Springfield, and Wheaton. More than 25,000 participants, including breast cancer survivors, volunteers, friends and family touched by the disease, are expected to participate in the Illinois events, and help raise more than $2 million to help fight breast cancer.
“For the American Cancer Society, pink ribbons aren’t just an October occurrence; they’re a year-round commitment,” said Jackie Burgess-Bishop, Regional Vice President of Chicago operations for the American Cancer Society’s Illinois Division. “We ‘Pink Differently’ by helping breast cancer patients in communities across Illinois every day of the year.”
The American Cancer Society says one in eight Illinois women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. But the odds of surviving the disease have never been better, now at 98 percent compared to 80 percent in the 1950s. The key is for women 40 years of age and older to get annual mammograms and to consult with their doctors regularly, Burgess-Bishop said.
“The walks help fund American Cancer Society programs that treat cancer patients and their families in every Illinois community year-round,” said Topinka. “Participants can truly make a difference in just one morning that will affect thousands for a lifetime.”
An avid supporter of the American Cancer Society, Topinka encouraged staff members to participate in this year’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks. On Monday, she stressed the importance of the events, and thanked the American Cancer Society for making the cause its mission.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Illinois women, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all invasive cancers found in women living in the state. The Illinois State Cancer Registry estimates that 9,850 women in Illinois will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and approximately 1,880 will die from the disease.
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. More than 100,000 volunteers in Illinois and millions elsewhere, fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. For more information about the 12th Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks or to sign up call 312-279-7376 or visit www.makingstridesillinois.com.
