By Anelia K. Dimitrova
Angela Hamilton, Christina Olds and Nikki Hudnutt may not be in a close-knit friend circle, but the Cedar Valley women have a life-changing event in common that binds them beyond friendship.
They are in different milestone phases of their medical journey, they know what it is like to hear a cancer diagnosis and what it takes to mobilize their inner strength to fight for survival.
The unity of their purpose brought them, along with a couple of thousand community members, to River Place Plaza in downtown Cedar Falls on Saturday, Oct. 3. There, the Annual Pink Ribbon Run, the local fundraiser for breast cancer support, was getting ready to kick off.
Hamilton was the chair for the event, Olds was the featured speaker and Hudnutt was one of the participants in the 5K Run.
For 20 years, the Pink Ribbon Run has been spreading hope and offering assistance with grants, helping to diminish the financial burden on families going through trying times.
It has become a staple event led by Community Main Street since its inception. The funds are allocated to the Beyond Pink TEAM, the sole program of the Cedar Valley Cancer Committee, a local nonprofit, dedicated to the fight against cancer.
This year’s goal was to raise $100,000.
But the anniversary brought out more generosity, exceeding expectations. When all was said and done, the final tally is expected to be around $110,000. A record number of community members — 1,740 — registered for the event.
In its essence, the Pink Ribbon Run is so many things — a celebration of the community spirit, an emotional reunion for the survivors and their supporters, an affirmation of their courage, a public statement of the impact of helping those going through the crisis of breast cancer and a remembrance of loved ones who had lost the battle.
Briefly sharing her story prior to the run, Olds testified to the uplifting power of material and moral support she received from the Beyond the Pink Team when she needed it the most.
“Because of the timing of my diagnosis, within just a few weeks, I was facing medical bills spanning two insurance coverage years,” she said. “When the social worker at the Community Cancer Center suggested applying for a grant from the Beyond Pink Team, I had no idea how much their support would mean to me. I appreciated the financial assistance, but it also showed me that people I’d never even met were willing to carry part of this struggle with me.
“And that’s exactly what all of you are doing here on an early Saturday morning in October. Every runner, walker, volunteer, and donor is helping someone in our community hear, ‘We’ve got you. We’re with you. You don’t have to do this alone.'”
For the 5K run, 253 survivors were registered for free thanks to this year’s sponsors like Oakridge Real Estate, Bambino’s Bakery, the Community Foundation, Nagle Signs, Discerning Wealth, Viking Pump, and People’s Community Health Clinic, among others. Together, the post-diagnosis years for those survivors adds up to 2,245 years, a number worthy of reflection.
Hudnutt, a spin instructor at the Cedar Falls Rec Center, known for her positivity and energy, came to the event with daughter Mia. Now on her own journey to healing, Hudnutt had attended the event before in support of her own mom, who passed away from cancer.
“It was an awesome morning for this,” she said. “I love what they do, it brings together so many people to support a great cause! I love it — along the route they have signs that loved ones have contributed to acknowledging their friends and family with breast cancer!”
Marking the 20th anniversary of the Pink Ribbon Run
This year’s anniversary run drew teams from Cedar Falls, Gilbertville, Waverly, Evansdale and the Cedar Valley area. The vibe was palpable in the air on this crisp October morning by the Cedar River. So many hues and textures of pink, so many motivated teams of adults, kids and pups, coupled with the upbeat music, played over the speakers, all conveyed the same message — a readiness to keep fighting and keep showing up in forums like this one until breast cancer is gone.
After the brief program, the runners, most of them wearing pink, lined up behind the inflatable Pink Ribbon Run arch, first for a group photo, then for the start of the run. Kids and hard-core runners were in the forefront, but many of the participants walked the route, some pushing strollers with babies, or carts with young kids, others chatting with friends as they power or leisurely walked, as spectators cheered them on.
It took a bit over 7 minutes for the participants to go through the arch. Runners followed a different course this year because of flooding.
Tanner Tangen, a Cedar Falls native on his first Pink Ribbon Run, completed the race first. He had come to support the cause even though he had no personal connection to it.
“A little breezy today, but it was fun,” he said.
Waiting for the participants to wrap up the course, Hamilton, the event chair, beamed with joy as she reflected on this year’s success. A 17-year breast cancer survivor, she volunteered to put her energies in the local organization as a way to pay back and pay forward the kindness she had received when she needed it the most. In a brief interview with The Cedar Falls News Hub by the arch, she also praised the meaningful work goes on behind the scenes in organizing an event of this scope.
“It was amazing, amazing,” she said. “This is my first year as the race director. We have an amazing committee. It’s a little overwhelming, but I have to remind myself that everybody here has been touched or affected by breast cancer, and so it really is an emotional day. It makes me very proud to live in the Cedar Valley.”
Like Hamilton, Olds, the featured speaker, who is also a local author, expressed gratitude and summed up the meaning of the run with a forward-looking message:
“This is the 20th Annual Pink Ribbon Run,” she said. “But I have one wish: Let’s not have a 40th. Let’s keep walking, running, donating, researching, and fighting until breast cancer becomes something our children and grandchildren only read about in the history books. Together, let’s change how this story ends.”