Celebrating for survival

Christine Carrillo

Diagnosed with breast cancer in her late 30s, before women began

receiving mammograms on a regular basis, Sandy Finestone fought her

own personal battle against the disease that affects one in seven

women in Orange County.

The 19-year survivor and Costa Mesa resident turned her experience

into a motivation and currently, as the president of the Susan G.

Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Orange County Affiliate, aids women

fighting the same battle.

With more than 30,000 in attendance for the 11th annual Komen Orange County Race for the Cure in Newport Beach Sunday morning,

Finestone couldn’t help but be astonished at how the race and breast

cancer awareness has changed since her bout with the disease in 1982.

“I remember when it first started there were about 4,000 people

and less than 100 of them were survivors,” Finestone said. “It’s nice

to see it grow like this and to see the support, ... to see the

families all here celebrating survivorship.”

The event, which took place on Newport Center Drive in Fashion

Island, included about 2,000 survivors wearing pink shirts and pearl

necklaces marking the years of their survivorship. And not all of the

survivors were women.

While only a few male survivors were present at the event, race

officials did all they could to make the men feel more comfortable

about their survivorship, just as they have always done with the

women survivors’ in trying to meet as many wishes as possible.

“It’s one of those things where you have to have a balance of

keeping it reasonable ... and, because it is so emotional, you do

have to listen to the requests,” said Race Director Kathy Kinane.

Since many survivors don’t see the annual event as simply a 5K

race, officials face the challenge of incorporating it all.

“The day itself is so amazing,” said Executive Director Ann Truxaw

Ramirez. “It’s a time when the survivors mark their survivorship.”

It’s also a time when family and friends can show their support

and celebrate their loved ones’ battle. With men and women, both

young and old, wearing celebratory notes with the names of the

survivors and victims closest to them, the race, which is one of the

largest fundraising races in the country, serves as an avenue for

people to unite.

“It’s great and it’s overwhelming,” said Elizabeth Quigley, a

nine-year survivor of breast cancer and a third-time runner in the

event. “It’s like a sisterhood for me, we all have that common bond

and it’s real neat to see.”

By participating in the event many survivors were able to find

comfort in the commonality between them.

“It was a life moment for me,” said Lorrie Tuerk, a 66-year-old

Newport Beach resident who started volunteering at the event after

she was diagnosed nine years ago. “It was my chance to give something

back to the community and make people aware of breast cancer.”

Raising more than $1 million, the Komen Foundation will place 75%

of the event’s net proceeds back into the Orange County community for

local breast cancer outreach, education, screening, diagnostic and

treatment programs while the other 25% will go directly to the

national foundation’s research program.

“It is like a sisterhood and we’re all out there trying to fight

this,” Tuerk said. “What makes this the most special is the support

and the feedback that they give to the people in the pink shirts --

the survivors. I’m always going to be a survivor, for a long time.”

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO is the news assistant. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4298 or by e-mail at christine.carrillo@latimes.com.