45,000 Race for a Cure

With a pink baseball cap on her head and three grandchildren in tow, Patricia Stewart was at Eakin's Oval at 6:25 this morning.

A little over an hour later Stewart would join more than 6,000 other breast cancer survivors for the "Parade in Pink" down the art museum steps to kick off the 18th annual Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure.

On this brisk, bright Mother's Day morning 45,000 people ran, jogged and walked the 3.1 mile course to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

"I'm on a mission to touch the life of every woman who has had this illness," Stewart said who is a 25-year breast cancer survivor.

In Pennsylvania and New Jersey an estimated 15,720 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and nearly 3,600 will die of the disorder, according to the American Cancer Society.

Nationally the disease is the second leading cause of cancer death among women behind lung cancer. The cancer society estimates that 182,460 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with the disease this year and nearly 40,500 will die of it.

The Race for the Cure has become a Philadelphia tradition since 1991 when 1,893 people took part in the first race here.

"Our message to everyone who is fighting this disease is simple: we can win this battle," said Elaine I. Grobman, executive director of the Philadelphia affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure who has led the effort for 18 years.

Today, the race course was jammed with men and women, young and old, black and white supporting survivors, honoring the memories of those who died, and hoping to help prevent the spread of breast cancer.

Margarett Zuccott, a breast cancer survivor, won the 3.1 mile race in the survivor category.

"I think it is important to be out to support all the other survivors and their families," said Stewart, 66. "Also it is a reminder of how blessed I am to have survived."