By TOM MOOR Tribune Staff Writer
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By Jim Pinkerton
Story Created: Apr 26, 2009 at 7:48 PM EDT
Story Updated: Apr 26, 2009 at 7:48 PM EDT
MISHAWAKA — With her daughter’s name written of a piece of paper on her back, Carol Blondell took her first-ever steps in a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Sunday morning.
Her friends and family at her side, Blondell marched the 3.1 miles along with 1,400 other men and women, vowing she will come back each year.
Breast cancer has made a sudden and tragic impact on her life. Her 29-year-old daughter, Angela Wenzel, was diagnosed last July and died just last month.
Angela had inflammatory breast cancer - found in only 1 percent to 6 percent of cases - which caused the disease to spread to her brain and spinal cord.
“She fought a tough battle,” Blondell said. “But she always kept up her spirits. She used to say to me, ‘This is a no-cry zone.’”
Blondell said she was proud to represent her daughter in the first Susan G. Komen Northern Indiana Race for the Cure, held downtown at the Riverwalk.
The event drew even better participation than expected. Event chair Ann Amico Moran said 75 percent of the proceeds will stay in this area and the remaining 25 percent go to research.
The event also was a way for many who have been affected by breast cancer to reach out to one another for support. And it was a day for reflection. Many who ran or walked in the race wore the name of someone who had succumbed, survived or is currently fighting breast cancer.
Kris Ward, of Walkerton, had two names on her back - her cousin Pam Strawser, who died four years ago, and her best friend Tina McFarland, a survivor.
“We’re here in hopes of finding a cure for this horrible disease,” Ward said. “Look at all the people that showed up - it’s wonderful.”
Crissy Roush, of Walkerton, was walking her first 5K ever for a woman she works with who has breast cancer.
“It’s very important to do this for her,” Roush said. “She already called this morning to see how everything was going.”
Iron man
One of the most energetic competitors of the day was Mark Goldstein, a breast cancer survivor from Randolph, N.J.
Goldstein, who chugged along with a smile on his face, had a small American flag clipped to the back of his visor and a shirt that read: “Men share a breasted interest.” When he crossed the finish line he threw both arms in the air.
Goldstein, 76, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990, and has traveled the world to run Komen races - 192 and counting.
“It still is rare for men,” Goldstein said after the race. “It was a total shock to me and went against conventional wisdom. I used to think it was for women only.”
But Goldstein beat the cancer and in 1992 attempted to enter a Susan G. Komen Race in New York City and was told by officials he couldn’t run because he was a man.
“I said, ‘Heck with that,’” Goldstein said. He ran and eventually was named one of the original three members of Honorary Team New Balance in 1995, and became a well-known advocate for breast cancer awareness among men.
“I love to do it,” he said.
Staff writer Tom Moor: tmoor@sbtinfo.com (574) 247-7756
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