City of Hope’s third walk draws 2,000 people to support cancer research and patient care
Noah Flug/Independent Newsmedia
Bubbles float above participants as they walk beneath an inflatable arch during City of Hope’s Walk for Hope in Goodyear Nov. 7. Organizers announced the event raised $236,000 for cancer research and patient care.
Noah Flug/Independent Newsmedia
Laurie Sicaeros, far left, and fellow organizers pose with a ceremonial check representing $236,000 raised for City of Hope’s Walk for Hope in Goodyear. Proceeds support cancer research and patient care.
Noah Flug/Independent Newsmedia
Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo addresses the crowd before City of Hope’s Walk for Hope in Goodyear Nov. 7. Pizzillo told attendees his wife is a patient at the cancer center.
Posted
Today more than anything, we walk together. Cancer touches every person in this crowd in some way.”
— Laurie Sicaeros, president of City of Hope Arizona
Bubbles floated in the air as walkers passed beneath an inflatable arch Nov. 7 in Goodyear for City of Hope’s annual Walk for Hope.
The event at City of Hope Cancer Center Arizona raised $236,000, organizers announced. Proceeds support cancer research and patient care.
Laurie Sicaeros, president of City of Hope Arizona, said 2,000 people attended the nonprofit's third annual walk.
“It’s incredible to look out at this crowd and see how many of you showed up for research, for the patients and for hope,” Sicaeros said.
Sicaeros said the gathering reflected the many ways cancer affects a community.
“Today more than anything, we walk together. Cancer touches every person in this crowd in some way,” she said.
Participants could choose a 1.1-mile route or a 2.5-mile route. Around the arch, volunteers held pink and gold pom-poms as walkers passed by.
Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo greeted the crowd before explaining his personal connection to the cancer center.
“My wife is a patient here, so I can tell you firsthand the work they do is incredible,” Pizzillo said.
He reminded wakers to stay hydrated, be safe and to enjoy themselves.
Walk for Hope Committee Chair Jessica Blakely thanked her team, fellow committee members and volunteers before sharing whom she was walking for.
“Today I’m walking for my mom. In 2018 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and I still remember how hard that was for our family when we got that news,” Blakely said.
The crowd applauded when Blakely said her mother was marking four years cancer-free.
“So today, we’re going to walk for the people we’ve lost, we’re going to walk for people fighting now, and we’re going to walk for people like my mom, who are still here because someone somewhere didn’t give up on trying to find a cure,” Blakely said.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here