It was an outpouring of love and support for Homewood’s Cancer Support Center by survivors, their families and friends at CSC’s Pink-A-Poo Walk Sunday, Oc. 13.
More than 350 people registered for the walk, the CSC’s annual fundraiser. They met at the CSC parking lot and listened to words of wisdom and high voltage music at the start of the day. By 9 a.m. the supporters were doing Zumba warm-up exercises led by CSC Fitness Program director Lori Stanton before they set off on the 5K or 1 mile walk, or the 10-step survivor‘s walk.
Pink, the color for breast cancer awareness, seemed to float everywhere. Everyone’s wardrobe had a hat, jacket, scarf or feathered boa in pink. Many wore the breast cancer ribbon as a decoration on their cheeks.
Ann Cuvala, a nurse and breast cancer survivor, said she first came to the Cancer Support Center in 1997 with her mom who was fighting lung cancer.
“I’ve been here ever since,” she said. “They do an amazing job taking care of all of our patients, nutrition, exercise, art therapy, counseling. They just meet all the needs of our patients.” Cuvala volunteers with two groups — breast cancer networking support group and the metastatic breast cancer support group.
Sistas of Hope, a support group for Black women fighting cancer, has been walking since the group was first organized in 2017, although some longtime members say they been a CSC supporter earlier than that.
“This is the one time we can band together to make sure the center is here for those who come behind us, or those that have a bump in the road,” said Verna Robinzine, “to make sure we can provide that sense of hope that CSC has. There’s nothing like the camaraderie of a support group.”
Rep. Will Davis makes it a point to come out every year in support of CSC.
“Nobody in my family has been afflicted (with cancer), but it just has a disproportionate effect on the Black community and to know that there’s an organization here in Homewood that wants to draw the people of color out and show them that they have services, we can support you. Supporting the CSC is something I do, no matter what.”
Kelly Rodriguez first learned of the CSC when her mother Kathy Cagoria got a breast cancer diagnosis. Rodriguez said her walk team would next be supporting her through her own breast cancer struggle.
(Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
(Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
Donna Anfeld of Homewood is an ambassador for the Cancer Support Center appearing on behalf of CSC at events throughout the area sharing information about the free services available to cancer survivors and their families. Anfeld has twice survived cancer. The last bout with thyroid cancer was 10 years ago, but she continues to participate in many programs at CSC.
