Pull your shoes on for Cookstown's walk in aid of Action Cancer

The 5-mile fundraising walk, which has become a community favourite, will herald the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, and is an opportunity for men, women and children of all ages to take part in the family event, helping to raise awareness of breast cancer and funds for the charity.

The walk will start and finish at Loy Street Methodist Church Hall at 7pm and participants can register there on the night from 6.30pm. Registration is free but the charity is asking people to fundraise for their local Cookstown Action Cancer Group, which helps the charity to provide services in the local area. All participants are encouraged to raise a minimum of £120 in sponsorship, the amount it costs Action Cancer to provide digital breast screening for one woman aged 40 – 49 and over 70.

All participants will receive a free Breast Foot Forward t-shirt and a medal! Group Founder, Anne Nelson said, “The Cookstown Action Cancer Community Group was established by myself and Tracy Martin in 2009 and we are celebrating our 13th anniversary this year. Thanks to the kindness and support of the local community, we have raised, a staggering £52,226 which has allowed Action Cancer to screen over 450 local women”.

Anne is herself an Action Cancer ambassador having used the charity’s breast screening service in 2005 resulting in a diagnosis. “I saw a bright pink advert for Action Cancer in our local paper. I read that they screened women aged 40 - 49, and as I was coming 45 that year, I thought I should go and get checked out.

“The next day my colleague and I made our appointments. After our mammograms we made a day of it and went for lunch like we hadn’t a care in the world! It was a week later that I received an envelope from Action Cancer referring me to hospital for further screening. My scan showed these two little black areas. I then had a number of biopsies and a core biopsy – the results of which wouldn’t be available for four days. It was the longest weekend of my life. I got a phone call from the hospital asking me to come down the next day for my results. It was my 45th birthday that day. The doctor told me that I had two cancer tumours on my left breast but they

were both small and had been detected early. If I had even waited another six months things would have been very different. I agreed to go for the surgery on 23 December. On 6 January 2006 I was told the cancer had spread to the glands under my arm. I needed more surgery and then three forms of treatment: chemotherapy, radiotherapy and the cancer tablet.”

For further information on the walk contact Action Cancer on 028 9080 3344, or email [email protected]