A charity walk in honor of those battling cancer

I first heard about ovarian cancer in early September last year when I was making a teal tutu for a run later that month.

As the day drew closer, I became more curious about ovarian cancer. At the time, all I knew is that ovarian cancer affected my family and I was running in honor of my grandmother, who I unfortunately never got to meet. It was so sad to learn there are more than 200 types of cancers that can take away loved ones. Once I heard this, I knew I would always cherish that day and I must support this cause.

On Sept. 23, 2017, I went to my first official charity run/walk, Together in Teal. When you first enter, they tell you a little bit about the cause and how ovarian cancer affects people. They told us it is very hard to diagnose. We did Zumba, listened to a speech, bought bracelets, got food and drinks, and got to talk with some survivors of ovarian cancer.

While there, we also filled out a little butterfly saying something about our lost loved ones. As the run was about to start, they had us ring bells to symbolize breaking the silence on ovarian cancer, which is often called the "silent cancer." It was at this time I felt my grandmother with me the most. Even though I’ve never met her, I missed her a lot that day. As my sister and I walked, we saw a sparkling lake and glistening trees, and the bright sun shined upon us. It was a 5k walk/run, which is about 3.1 miles long. To be honest, it wasn’t that bad since I brought water.

After the walk and run was over, we ate some food and met up with our group to take a picture. Our group was called Team Tutu Cute for Cancer. I learned so much from that event and trying to help break the silence on ovarian cancer. I think many people think that there are just a few types of cancers when there are so many we can help find a cure for, and everyone should be breaking the silence. There are so many ways you can help support more research on different cancers. By doing so, you could help be the light in someone’s darkness.

Jennifer Guerriero’s fifth-grade class, St. Patrick School, Smithtown