On Sunday morning I picked my mom up early and we headed down to Lakeview Park in Oshawa for the annual CIBC Run for the Cure. We headed down early because it was our first time doing the event and we wanted to make sure we could figure out where we were supposed to be. It worked out great, because we got a terrific parking space and had lots of time to sit and enjoy a coffee and a muffin, a chat and to take some pictures of the decorations and participants at the event.
I loved taking pictures of everyone who was dressed up in fun and wacky ways to show their support for the power of pink!
Mom and I were both blown away by how well organized the run was. There was a bittersweet taste in the air…the atmosphere was very festive, but with a shade of sadness thrown in. Lots of participants wore shirts indicating proudly that they were survivors of breast cancer, but lots wore t-shirts bearing the image of someone they’d lost to breast cancer, too.
We loved the starting line, which was made up of a string of bras in every shade of pink you can imagine.
We were more than ready to get going by the time the run began at 10:00, and we were so amazed as we came up on the crest of the hill at the base of Simcoe Street south, where we could see the thousands of people out ahead of us. There was literally a collective gasp through the crowd when the sheer force of numbers became apparent!
The 5 kilometre walk took us an hour, and Mom and I both proudly agreed that we want to make this an annual event for us to do together. We felt so great at the end knowing that we had helped contribute to such an important cause for women everywhere.
We didn’t realize just how enthusiastic people were about getting dressed up for this event…next year we’ll really do it up right!
It’s not too late to donate! Click here to help make a future without breast cancer possible.
I wish we could do it again tomorrow. There were so many great things about this event; the hope for a cure was brought to light and the collective, heartfelt joy for survivors was palpable. I was so proud to stand among so many people, united for one incredibly important and worthy cause. I was particularly proud to do so with my daughter who invited me to join her. In fact, I was tickled pink.