Thousands plan to Race for the Cure in Balboa Park Sunday

Thousands of pink-clad racers will take over San Diego this weekend. The 13th annual Susan G. Komen San Diego Race for the Cure will be held in Balboa Park on Sunday morning.

The Susan G. Komen San Diego Race for the Cure will begin at 8 a.m. Sunday in Balboa Park. (Courtesy photo)

“There’s lots of entertainment,” said Ocean Beach resident Rachel Lipsitz. “There’s all kinds of pink banners and shirts and hats and people are really teaming up and coming together to create a really fun environment.”

The five-kilometer run and fitness walk begins at 8 a.m. It is preceded by a survivor ceremony at 7:30 a.m. and followed by a health expo that will have booths set up by sponsors and a healthy food area.

“The race will kick off with a ceremony that honors those survivors in attendance and also celebrates the lives of those we may have lost to breast cancer,” Lipsitz said.

Of the money raised during the race, 75 percent will remain in San Diego to provide breast health research, diagnostics, screening, treatment, services and education for all women and 25 percent will go to national research. Since 1995, the grassroots organization’s San Diego affiliate has given $8.5 million to local organizations that battle breast cancer.

“We’re helping underinsured and uninsured men and women right here get treatment and education and diagnostic services that they need,” Lipsitz said.

“So it’s really important that people come out. We hope that people will give what they can and help in any way that they can,” she said.

Lipsitz became involved in Race for the Cure because of her aunt, who died from breast cancer. She serves as public relations chair for Komen for the Cure and has participated in the last six races in San Diego.

“It’s an organization really dedicated to making a difference and I wanted to be a part of it,” Lipsitz said.

This year’s Honorary Breast Cancer Survivor is Amanda Nixon, a South Park resident. Nixon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 at only 27 years old and has now fully recovered.

Nixon first noticed symptoms of her breast cancer in 2005 following a breast reduction - loss of strength in her arm and a slight mass inside her breast.

At the time, Nixon consulted with her plastic surgeon, who said it was most likely scar tissue and not breast cancer, given her age.

“Eventually, as I was sent off for a mammogram, my breast had become completely engorged,” Nixon said. “It was purple, it kind of looked like the skin of an orange, it was dimply and my nipple had inverted.”

Nixon was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, which occurs in only one of eight breast cancer cases. Her case is also unique because of her age.

“I had this image in my mind that it was a grandmother’s disease, and here I am at 27 completely bald with one boob,” Nixon said. “I was thinking this doesn’t seem right.”

Following the diagnosis, Nixon went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and underwent radiation treatment, a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery all within a 3 1/2-year span. She said she had tremendous support from her mother and the Young Survivor Coalition throughout the process.

“It was one obstacle or one challenge at a time,” Nixon said. “I would get through it and then have a celebration. That’s how I dealt with it.”

Nixon will speak at the race and will be participating in her first Race for the Cure. She has done the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk three times.

Nixon recommends that all women have a clinical screening once a year and do a monthly self breast exam. She encourages them to simply be familiar with their bodies.

“My best piece of advice is that young women should just be familiar with their bodies, know what’s normal and then if something isn’t normal, go have it checked out by a professional,” Nixon said.

Although advance registration for the San Diego Race for the Cure has closed, those interested in participating in the race can register on the day of the event starting at 6:30 a.m.

For more information about the San Diego Race for the Cure event or to make a donation, visit www.komensandiego.org.

Tags: 13th annual Susan G. Komen San Diego Race for the Cure, Balboa Park, Breast Cancer 3-Day walk, Breast cancer San Diego, Honorary Breast Cancer Survivor Amanda Nixon, Komen for the Cure, Ocean Beach, San Diego Race for the Cure, SDNN, Young Survivor Coalition

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