50+ Lifestyles

The 26th Annual Race for the Cure!

By Christina McNamara-Schmidt
Komen Quad Cities/Marketing and Fundraising Specialist

Race for the Cure is the largest fundraiser for Komen Quad Cities. Please join us on Saturday, June 13th to raise funds to fight breast cancer at our 26th annual run/walk.

Please register online today at www.komenquadcities.org. Up to 75 percent of the funds raised remain in our local, eight county, bi-state service area to provide mammograms, education, and other breast health services for women in need. Up to 25 percent funds groundbreaking research to find a cure for breast cancer.

Since the inception of the Race in 1990, Komen Quad Cities has raised more than $5.7 million. Komen Quad Cities just announced funding for four important breast healthprograms:

• $14,806 to a program entitled Muscatine Breast Cancer Outreach and Education, administered by Gilda’s Club Quad Cities. This program aims to provide education information on breast health, screening and care to women in Muscatine County.
• $131,965 to The Voucher Programs: Mammograms and Breast Ultrasounds, administered by Genesis Medical Center. There are no age restrictions or income guidelines for an individual to use this program. It’s available to women residing in one of the following counties: in Iowa – Cedar, Clinton, Muscatine, Scott; in Illinois – Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, or Whiteside. Patients obtain vouchers for services at one of 18 mammography facilities that participate with the Voucher Program.
• $16,000 to the Clinton County Care for Yourself Program and Breast Cancer Early Detection Program. In an effort to decrease late stage breast cancer in Clinton County, Care for Yourself staff and community partners will increase messaging urging women to get regular breast health screenings.
• $73,248 for Outreach Community Coordination for Breast Care facilitated by UnityPoint Health – Trinity. This program will help employ two Oncology Community Health Outreach Coordinators that will meet with women in their homes and facilitate educational programs.

In addition to the $236,019 awarded through Komen Quad Cities’ Community Grants Program, an additional $30,000 is reserved for small grants that can be submitted to the Affiliate throughout the year.

In addition to registering to participate, you can also Fundraise and Win Cool Prizes! New this year….you can earn valuable prizes when you further Komen’s mission with fundraising!  It’s easy, a fundraising page is automatically created for you when you register for the Race. Just use a template and send out a few emails, let your friends know you’re helping is on social media sites, and you’ll be surprised how much good you can do!

The party doesn’t stop when the Race ends!

Join us for the 2nd annual After Party for the Cure in downtown Moline. Numerous downtown Moline restaurants will open early and have specials for those wearing a Race bib or t-shirt…..and there will bebands and entertainment too! Log onto our website, www.komenquadcities.org/afterpartyforthecure for a list of participating businesses.

Come for the Race, stay for the party!

Honorary Survivor Chair Diane Hill

Diane Hill is the Honorary Survivor Chair for the 2015 Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure.

The medication Diane Hill was taking to help keep her well wasactually making her sick. Hill, 64, of Bettendorf, was taking hormone replacement therapy in 1997 after a hysterectomy. One year to the date,, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “My breast cancer was estrogen-induced.  I was feeding the cancer with the pills I was taking,” Hill said.

After a yearly mammogram showed a suspicious lump, a second tumor was found on Diane’s chest wall.  The diagnosis of breast cancer led to six months of chemo and 36 treatments of radiation for the mother of three.

“It’s very difficult to go through chemo and not be able to take care of your children , house, and family because you’re taking care of yourself. The scariest part is the thought of not being around for your children,” said Hill, whose three daughters were ages 12, 14, and 16 when she was undergoing treatment.

Now healthy, Hill serves as a Livestrong instructor for the Bettendorf YMCA, helping cancer patients and survivors gain physical and mental strength.
For her courage and story of survivorship, Komen Quad Cities says Hill is the honorary survivor chair of the 26thannual Race.

The Race this coming June will be the 25th for Hill. “I use Race for the Cure as a reminder of what I’ve gone through and a celebration of what I’ve accomplished,” she said.

Never afraid to share her breast cancer journey with anyone, Hill wants others to know “It’s something we can conquer and overcome,” she said.
Through her role as the honorary chair, Hill wants to stress the positive impact of staying active.

“If it’s physical, it’s therapy. We just feel so much better and strong if we get out and move,”  said Diane, a retired physical education and health teacher at Bettendorf High School. Diane is married to her husband, Rod, and has three children and four grandchildren.