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8 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2014 THE MORNING CALL

BREAST CANCER

Sharing a common path

Survivors from different walks of life give back through Women’s 5K Classic

By Jennifer Sheehan

Of The Morning Call

Laurie Flynn of Upper Macungie Town- DONNA FISHER/THE MORNING CALL
ship has worked for 30 years at Air Prod-
ucts, where she is a senior safety specialist. Breast cancer survivor Laurie Flynn of Upper Macungie Township gets ready for a run in the Lehigh Parkway in Allentown. She ran in the
Roni Fabian of Northampton manages two Women’s 5K Classic for many years and now helps organize the event, which supports women with cancers and their families.
doctors’ offices.
tion and awareness. and did it again this year. BREAST CANCER
On the surface, the women don’t seem to “Remember, through early detection Her road back to health has been a long STATISTICS
have a lot in common. They live in different
parts of the Lehigh Valley and have taken and improved treatment, more women one. Not counting some kinds of skin cancer,
different career paths. than ever are beating breast cancer,” Flynn Unlike Flynn, cancer didn’t run in Fabi- breast cancer in the United States is:
told the crowd. ■ The most common cancer in women, no
But they have one important bond, one an’s family. She had her first mammogram matter their race or ethnicity.
that unites 2.8 million women in the After a decade of running in the event as in 2011, which was fine. ■ The most common cause of death from
United States — they have both survived a survivor, Flynn turned her focus to the cancer among Hispanic women.
breast cancer. organizing committee, which works In 2012, she had her second mammo- ■ The second-most common cause of
throughout the year. “It’s an amazing gram, and doctors saw calcifications. De- death from cancer among white and black
Flynn, Fabian and thousands of others group of women,” Flynn says. “They are so ciding to keep an eye on them, doctors told women.
took part in Saturday’s 22nd Annual Wom- dedicated to the cause and keeping it fo- her to have another mammogram in six
en’s 5K Classic at Lehigh Parkway in Allen- cused on what it’s about.” months. Source: The Centers for Disease Control and
town. Flynn served for the second year on Prevention
the 5K’s planning committee while Fabian ‘Finally getting back She had another mammogram that
walked in the event. showed her calcifications were growing,
to normal’ and doctors recommended she see a breast
The event supports women’s fitness, surgeon.
women with breast and female cancers and The 5K is a relatively new event for
their families, and raises money for related Fabian. She first walked in the event in 2013 Please see SURVIVORS GO 9
programs and research in the Lehigh Val-
ley.

From runner to a race

organizer

In the late ’90s, Flynn ran in the event
for fun and to support the 5K. Like many
people, cancer had touched Flynn’s family:
Her mom died from ovarian cancer.

“I just did it as a participant and thought,
‘Wow this is a really neat event,’ ” Flynn
says.

But then the tables turned for Flynn. At
39, she discovered a pea-sized lump under
her arm.

After a series of tests, she was diagnosed
with invasive ductal carcinoma. She under-
went a mastectomy, chemotherapy and
radiation. All of her hair fell out on her
40th birthday in October.

Despite having just started chemo, Flynn
ran in the 5K in 2002 and was the first
survivor to compete in the event.

“I never expected to be running as a
survivor,” Flynn says.

The 5K took on a new meaning. In 2003,
she delivered a keynote address, sharing
her cancer story and encouraging others to
stay fit and focused on recovery. She also
promoted the importance of early detec-

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