A Gainesville race is raising awareness of ovarian cancer
A Gainesville Pediatrician shares her cancer survival story and the importance of advocating for yourself.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Ovarian cancer remains the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. That’s according to the American Cancer Society. And about 20,000 women are diagnosed annually with the disease in the United States. In 2014, Gainesville Pediatrician Samantha Bacchus was diagnosed within eight weeks with stage 4a ovarian cancer. Bacchus, after going through multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy, she is an eight year survivor of ovarian cancer.
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Bacchus has taken what she learned from her battle and is advocating for others in North Central Florida. She started the “Sandy Sprint,” which is hosted by the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. The “Sandy Sprint,” a 5K walk in Gainesville will raise money and awareness of ovarian cancer. The event will be held Saturday, March 25th from 9:30 am to 11 am, at Prancing Horse Farm, (28515 NW 46th Ave, Newberry, Fl 32669). The cost is $30 for adults, $25 for children under 12, and $35 for virtual participants. To learn more or register for the Sandy Sprint, visit the event’s website here. This is the second year of the Sandy Sprint 5K in Gainesville.
After the walk, an Ovarian Cancer Storytelling Event will take place. You will get to hear from Samantha and two other ovarian cancer survivors. The storytelling event looks to encourage women with gynecologic cancer, their loved ones, and healthcare providers to rethink how they talk about these cancers, and ways to navigate together. This portion of the Sandy Sprint 5K is hosted by GSK as part of their Our Way Forward program, and The Moth, a nonprofit that promotes the art and craft of storytelling. Every registered walker can enter the storytelling portion of the morning for free. To register for the storytelling event, visit, https://pt.surveymonkey.com/r/D6CLNCP. For more information about GSK’s Our Way Forward, visit OurWayForward.com
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