LIers fight breast cancer at Komen 5K in Central Park

Jennifer Lindner was one of "Laura's Lunatics" Sunday.

Lindner, 24, of Copiague walked the 5-kilometer Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Central Park with 16 other team members in memory of Laura Giorgio, who died of breast cancer six years ago at age 57.

"She always called us all lunatics," said Lindner, who helped carry a pink and white banner displaying the team name.

Lindner, a student at St. Joseph's College who attended St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip with Giorgio's daughter Maria, was among 24,000 participants in the 20th annual event to raise funds to fight breast cancer.

"She was always in everyone's business - in a good way," Lindner said of Giorgio. "Hopefully, one day they'll find a cure."

The team was almost halfway to meeting its $5,000 goal.

The nonprofit that sponsored the walk is awarding $4.3 million in grants, including $2.8 million for community-based screening, support and treatment providers in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester and Rockland counties.

The economic downturn has made fundraising especially important as government cutbacks have reduced services, said Dr. Dara Richardson-Herron, the chapter's chief executive.

"With job losses and people losing insurance, there are many more people who now need support, but unfortunately the support from government is not there," she said.

Richardson-Herron, a breast cancer survivor, said the organization hopes to raise $6 million from yesterday's event, up from last year's $5.3 million. Donations will be collected through October.

This year an estimated 207,090 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 39,840 will die of the disease, the organization says.

Sunday, Claudia Lopez, 36, walked with 12 family members who wore T-shirts with a picture of her cousin, Yesel Murrieta of Deer Park. Murrieta, 33, died in March of breast cancer, leaving two daughters, 11 and 14 years old.

"We raised about $500," said Lopez, of upstate Blooming Grove. "We recently lost her and wanted to do something for her."