Motherwalk 5K returns May 14
The Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation is bringing its annual Motherwalk 5K and 1-mile fun run back to Homewood Park on May 14 for its 19th year to raise money and awareness for women who are battling or have lost battles to ovarian cancer.
The foundation wasn’t able to do an in-person event last year because of COVID-19 concerns but decided to return to a normal 5K format this year, said Ashley Thompson, executive director of the foundation.
The Motherwalk 5K will feature bounce houses, vendors, face-painting stations and possibly mascots from high schools, Thompson said.
“Motherwalk this year is going to be a celebration of women,” Thompson said. “We’re going to be celebrating the women who have battled ovarian cancer, and we’re remembering the women who have lost their battles to ovarian cancer. We’re going to spend the day and the weeks leading up to this raising awareness about this horrible disease.”
19th annual Motherwalk 5K and 1-mile fun run
WHERE: Homewood Central Park
WHEN: May 14; 8 a.m. start for 5K; 9 a.m. start for fun run
DETAILS: 5K, 1-mile fun run, or virtual participation
WEB: motherwalk.com
Approximately 22,000 women are diagnosed every year with ovarian cancer, and 14,000 women die annually from this disease, she said. Thompson said most women won’t know they have ovarian cancer until it’s stage three or four because the symptoms are what women experience monthly during their period.
Thompson said it’s important women know their bodies because there’s no test to screen for ovarian cancer. Doctors are only able to diagnose women when they are displaying severe symptoms, she added.
“It’s hard to recognize,” Thompson said. “We call them the silent symptoms because women are tough and think, ‘Oh, I’ve just got cramps; I’m just bloated,’ or, ‘I just can’t eat because it’s that time of the month,’ when in fact those could be symptoms of ovarian cancer.”
Tickets to participate in the 5K and 1-mile fun run are $40, with a virtual option available as well.