CIBC Run for Cure raises $28k

The CIBC Run for the Cure in Brandon has raised more than $28,000, with organizers hoping for continued fundraising through the end of December.

The annual breast cancer fundraiser was held Sunday morning at Assiniboine College’s Victoria Avenue East campus, attracting 216 registered participants for one- and five-kilometre walks and runs.

The $28,000 total reflects fundraising since the run season began in May and is expected to increase as donations continue to come in until Dec. 31, Brandon site’s volunteer run director Ashley MacDonald said.

“We’d love to see something in the six digits in Brandon,” MacDonald told the Sun. “Last year, the Brandon site raised more than $60,000.”

The event was designed as a family-friendly, untimed walk or run. The five-kilometre route travelled through Brandon’s east end, with Brandon police assisting with traffic control

MacDonald said the funds raised are directed nationally to cancer research and to services supporting people and families affected by cancer.

The Brandon run is in its 34th year, while CIBC has been involved with the event for 30 years. MacDonald has served as the site’s run director for 11 years.

This year’s event placed particular emphasis on breast cancer research being conducted at Brandon University, including work aimed at developing an early detection blood test.

The research team is working to identify biomarkers in blood that could detect cancer signatures before a tumour becomes detectable as a lump, Mousumi Majumder, a Canada Research Chair in genotoxicology at Brandon University, said.

Mammograms, ultrasounds and biopsies are currently used to detect and diagnose breast cancer, but Majumder said a blood-based biomarker could eventually help identify people who need further testing earlier.

“Our team has identified several markers that have shown an ability to detect cancer signatures when tumours are at stage one, when survival rates are above 98 per cent,” she said.

The research has so far been conducted on a limited number of patient samples, and Majumder said thousands more samples are needed to validate the markers.

“The research could also have applications beyond early detection, including identifying whether a patient is likely to respond to a particular treatment,” Majumder said.

“We are working on developing those blood tests.”

The research is being supported through a local fundraising campaign called Hope in Our Backyard. The campaign has a three-year goal of raising $500,000 for breast cancer research at Brandon University.

The campaign had raised about $193,000 since its launch in April, Westman-based Waves of Hope team manager Michelle Gerrard said.

“I was diagnosed with stage one triple-negative breast cancer in 2003 at age 34 and it was detected after I found a lump and was able to have surgery within days,” Gerrard told the Sun. “I have been cancer-free for 23 years.”

Gerrard said triple-negative breast cancer can progress quickly and that younger women are an increasingly important group in breast cancer research and awareness efforts.

MacDonald said organizers are also seeing concern about breast cancer diagnoses among younger people.

While Manitoba’s screening program currently begins at age 45, MacDonald said researchers are hoping early detection can eventually begin at a younger age.

Majumder said the demographic of younger breast cancer patients has increased significantly, particularly among people in their 30s to 50s.

Gerrard said the growing number of younger patients underscores the importance of developing an early-detection test that could be used before people reach the age at which they routinely qualify for mammography.

For MacDonald, the run is more than fundraising.

“Our objective is to spread awareness, raise money towards a cure, as well as bring the community together,” she said.

The event also featured an opening ceremony, speakers from the Canadian Cancer Society, local research representatives and Gerrard, who shared her cancer journey.

Waves of Hope, which has operated since 1999, was among the community groups represented at the event. The team consists of breast cancer survivors and supporters from Westman, southwestern Manitoba and the Parkland region and competes in dragon boat races.

MacDonald said the Brandon site has grown over the past three years through support from local sponsors and community partners. She said the event’s fundraising total remains open through the end of the year.

“We appreciate all of the efforts,” she said. “Anything that we can do to find a cure is really what we’re here for.”

Waves of Hope is also planning a Pink the Rink fundraiser on Oct. 25 in support of Majumder’s research. The Brandon Wheat Kings will feature a pink ice surface and jersey auction as part of the event.

Gerrard said the group hopes to fill the 4,600-seat rink as it continues raising money toward the $500,000 research target.

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