The Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research’s annual 5K walk/run, Walk With Love will return to Pacific Palisades for its 10th anniversary on Sunday, May 21.
Love, a Palisadian surgeon who has spent the past 30 years of her career as an advocate for breast cancer research, is looking for more than a cure – she’s committed to finding the cause of the disease that impacts more than 250,000 new patients each year.
“We can find a cure, but it would be better if we found the cause and prevented anyone from getting cancer in the first place,” Love explained to the Palisadian-Post in a previous interview.
This year’s Walk With Love Honorary Chair celebrates Riviera resident Helene Dameris, who founded the event after participating in Love’s 2008 clinical trial.
Dameris was inspired to help find a cure after her sister-in-law was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
“I’ve watched family members and multiple friends struggle with the disease, so when I learned that Dr. Love needed healthy participants, I knew I had to do something to help,” Dameris told the Post. “The procedure was pretty invasive, be she kept me feeling comfortable throughout the entire session. After learning more about her work, it became clear to me that if anyone could eradicate breast cancer, it was Susan Love.”
Dameris coordinated the charity walk’s very first event in 2008, where nearly $40,000 was raised between the event’s 150 participants.
“I couldn’t believe we had raised so much,” Dameris revealed. “We were absolutely stunned.”
To date, Walk With Love has generated over $500,000 – all of which has gone directly into research facilitated by the Foundation.
This year’s walk is expected to draw over 1,000 participants from all over West Los Angeles.
Article by Gabriella Bock, Palisadian Post Reporter
