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Three-time cancer survivor supports Rays of Hope, asks walkers to join fundraiser |
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SPRINGFIELD Rose Sattler of Springfield is just one of many area women who have benefited from the special programs and services provided by Rays of Hope through dollars raised each years by walkers, many of whom gather their friends and family member to form teams to participate in the Rays of Hope A Walk Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer.
This year's walk steps off on Oct. 25 from Temple Beth El in Springfield at 10:30 a.m. with a new second walk also slated in Greenfield on the same day.
"The programs funded by Rays of Hope are not only supportive, they're inspirational whether you're a person of faith as I am, or not. I look forward each year to the Breast Cancer Survivors' Day event where many of the speakers are so inspirational in helping you march forward," Sattler said, a Springfield teacher. And if anyone ever needed inspiration, it's Sattler a three-time breast cancer survivor.
"It was right around this time, during The Big E, when I discovered a lump in my breast and underwent surgery in 1988 and reconstruction the following year. The cancer returned in 1996 which led to additional surgery and radiation," Sattler said.
"It was during my second surgery, which this time I underwent at Baystate Medical Center, that I learned about the many programs and services available to support me through my second bout with cancer, including a Rays of Hope-sponsored Breast Cancer Support Group. I was looking for another support group because the women in the one I was attending only talked about dying and their funerals," she added. And, Sattler had good reason to live.
"I was told to get my affairs in order, that I wouldn't live to see my next birthday. And all of this was happening just before my youngest daughter was to get married. I knew I had to find another oncologist, and it was at Baystate Medical Center, before the D'Amour Center for Cancer Care opened, that I found the hope I needed and learned I was going to survive," Sattler said.
Rays of Hope, which many walkers will be lacing up their walking shoes for very shortly, is no ordinary walk in the park. It is a celebration of hope, which Sattler needed, as well as memories and life. It is the largest single-day fundraising event in Western Massachusetts for breast cancer and has raised more than $7.4 million dollars since its inception.
Rays of Hope was created in 1994 by Springfield native Lucy Giuggio Carvalho after her breast cancer diagnosis one year before.
All funds raised by teams, individual walkers, corporate sponsors, grassroots events and community organizations remain local helping people throughout Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. More than 480 teams combined with individual walkers totaling over 15,000 people, as well as some 100 companies generously support Rays of Hope, including presenting sponsor Health New England, as well as major sponsorships from Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation, Balise Motor Sales, and Radiology and Imaging Inc., as well as other generous community businesses.
Last year's more than 15,000 women, men and children walkers through Forest Park raised over $812,000 to fund breast cancer programs and services for breast cancer patients and survivors, research, and state-of-the art equipment at Baystate Regional Cancer Program's Comprehensive Breast Center, as well as breast cancer care at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, and various community projects and organizations such as the Cancer Connection and Cancer House of Hope.
Sattler's third recurrence with breast cancer was more extensive and required a thoracic surgeon because the tumor was sitting on her chest wall.
"I was really concerned and scared the third time around, and met with Marlene Quinlan, an oncology social worker in the Baystate Regional Cancer Program, who was reassuring and who gave me a relaxation tape funded by Rays of Hope," Sattler said, who went on to share the tape with others.
"And, I would just like to stress to others dealing with breast or any other cancer, that it is the support of family and friends, and for me, prayers, that will really carry you through your cancer journey," she added.
The Rays of Hope Walk is accessible to everyone and includes a two- or five-mile walk through the beautiful fall foliage in Springfield's historic Forest Park and Energy Park in Greenfield. There is still plenty of time to register as a walker or form a quick team of family, friends, co-workers, classmates and others.
To assist in their fundraising efforts, walk participants also have the opportunity to easily raise funds online by creating their own personal Web page through the Rays of Hope Web site.
And, those who are unable to attend the walk on Oct. 25 can still participate by joining the 10,000 Steps Toward a Cure program. 10,000 Steppers commit to walking 10,000 steps, the equivalent of five miles, during the month of October. Participants can walk, row, jog, swim laps whatever it takes to get to five miles. 10,000 Steppers create a Web page and collect funds like other participants and will receive a free Rays of Hope pedometer once they register
For more information about participating in Rays of Hope, call 794-8001 or visit www.baystatehealth.com/raysofhope.
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