Malden Against Cancer club at the Making Strides walk. Photo courtesy of club president, Olivia Santangelo.
When you think of October, you probably think of “spooky season,” fall, leaves, pumpkin spice and everything nice. However, it is also Breast Cancer Awareness month! The Malden Against Cancer Club (MAC) has been participating in events like the annual Making Strides Walk in Boston and selling concessions at the recent football game to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.
The club attended the Making Strides Walk on Sunday, September 29. The American Cancer Society began the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk to unite the public in the fight against this illness. The money raised at these events, which happen all over the country, is used to fund breast cancer research and provide patient services like rides to chemotherapy, places to stay near treatment, and a 24/7 helpline free of charge.
Excluding skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common cancer type found in women. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2019 “about 271,270 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed.” The importance of raising awareness to breast cancer is crucial for early detection and possibly even prevention.
Kristen Kirby, the club’s adviser since 2013, explained that they did this walk a while ago, but more recently one of the officers did the event with her mom, so they “thought it would be a good idea if [they] did it as a club.”
New to the club this year, junior David Lombardi, described his experience participating in the walk as “so worth it being able to see all the survivors and caretakers walking for such a good cause.” He added that it was “truly heartwarming” since “so many people in [his] family have suffered from cancer” as well.
Everyone else seemed to have had a good time at the walk as well. Co-president Senior Olivia Santangelo explained that they were originally going to walk two miles, “but when [they] got there [they[ decided to walk six miles.” It was a success, as the club ended up raising over $300 at the walk.
What inspired the members to walk the extra miles was the fact that “everyone was so happy despite being affected by breast cancer in some way shape or form.”
More recently, the club promoted their cause at the Malden vs. Everett football game, which was a Pink Out event last Friday. Although it was raining, the club still kept up good spirits and sold treats at the concession stand to raise money for their cause. Despite the fact that Malden lost 6-36, Sarah Oliveira, a sophomore in her second year as a member of the club explained that volunteering at the football game made her feel “like [she] was doing something beyond [herself]” because “every dollar [they earned goes] towards finding a cure.”
Even though the Malden Against Cancer Club have been pretty quiet in the last few years, the members are committed to spreading good by bringing awareness and raising money for their cause. Be sure to keep a lookout over the next few years to support the club! You can follow them on Instagram: @malden.against.cancer to see what they are up to.
