Cancer survivors and locals supporting their loved ones with the disease made a one-mile trek on Saturday morning at Unite in the Fight Against Cancer, an annual fundraiser for the Georgia Cancer Center (GCC).
GCC Director Dr. Jorge Cortes shared that the walk brought in $57,621 this year.
Cortes said the fundraising is crucial for the center, “because it helps us fund some of the projects that help us improve the patient experience.”
GCC Communication Strategist Lindsey Morris said that the funds can cover everything from feeding tubes and feeding solution for patients to gas cards to help those patients pay for their trip to the center.
Walking for a cause
The walk itself takes participants around the Augusta University Health Sciences Campus – hitting places that local cancer patients may find themselves on their medical journeys, such as the children’s hospital or Wellstar’s main hospital.
Best friend duo Hannah Seigler and Ashlyn Jones, both registered nurses at GCC, talked about the hidden effects of cancer that some people may not always see.
“[Cancer] fatigues you emotionally, physically and mentally. A lot of people think it’s just physical. It’s a lot more than that,” said Seigler.
“It’s a real emotional journey, it involves everyone around them,” Jones added.
Laryssa McCloud was walking in honor of two of her brothers, one who recently survived prostate cancer and another who has been affected by kidney cancer.
“It’s very personal for me,” she said.
McCloud said she appreciated how the event had booths with information set up for visitors.
“This is a big thing, because people bring people who may not have come for the information,” she said.
Unite in the Fight was presented by the Fight Like Mike Foundation.
