Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk to be held Sunday

About 25,000 people will travel Charleston Boulevard on Sunday morning to make strides against breast cancer.

The annual American Cancer Society Making Strides walk raises money — hopefully $850,000 this year — for breast cancer initiatives including research, programs and service, and event planning expenses.

This year, more than 2,000 Nevadans will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and about 400 will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society. Nationally, more than 252,000 women and nearly 3,000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.

“We have several local programs that directly benefit cancer patients and their families here in Southern Nevada,” said Josiah LaRow, community development manager of the American Cancer Society.

Money raised goes to help fund programs such as the following:

n Road to Recovery, which helps cancer patients when they need transportation to and from treatment.

n Look Good Feel Better, which helps women handle the cosmetic side effects caused by cancer treatment, such as hair loss and skin chemistry.

n Reach to Recovery, a peer support program that connects newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with someone who has been in their shoes.

The 2016 Las Vegas Making Strides walk raised $700,000 to help these programs, which assisted more than 1,500 local cancer patients.

“The Las Vegas Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is the largest nonprofit walk in the state of Nevada,” LaRow said. “The event gives everyone the opportunity to make their voices heard.”

There is no registration fee for the walk, but participants are encouraged to fundraise to help the cause.

“We give the entire community the opportunity to come out and stand arm-and-arm with cancer survivors, caregivers and advocates to help put an end to the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women,” LaRow said.

The 5K walk departs Red Rock Resort at 8 a.m. and travels west on Charleston Boulevard to the West Career &Technical Academy before returning to the hotel-casino. Sign up at www.makingstrideswalk.org/lasvegasnv or call 877-957-7848. Registration at Red Rock Resort starts at 7:30 a.m.