Ocean Women Participate in Walk for the Cure
By ANDREW CANGIANO
When their friend Sue Boyd was diagnosed with breast cancer, Laura Evernham and Judy Strunk decided it was time to do something to help.
The Ocean Township residents decided to participate in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in New York City in the fall of 2004 and walked again this year.
That first year Evernham, Strunk, and Boyd, who was still recovering from chemotherapy, participated in the walk.
Thousands participated in the recent Avon Breast Cancer Walk in New York City. A local group of women called Ocean in Motion for the Cure also participated.
This year the women gathered a larger team consisting of 18 members, which is called Ocean in Motion for the Cure. The team even has its own logo.
Some of the members met at Strunks house last week to share pictures and stories from this years walk and to begin planning for next year.
Strunk said the team has doubled the number of team members who will participate in the 2006 walk.
Evernham has seen her share of breast cancer patients, as she works at the office of Dr. Christopher Godek in Toms River.
Godek is a plastic surgeon who does reconstructive surgery on many breast cancer patients and has been a very generous supporter of the Avon Walk, Evernham said.
The Avon Walk is a two day event in which participants walk 13 miles each day.
Members for the Ocean in Motion team trained on their own for the event, but there were also a number of team walks to prepare for the race.
The group did a six-mile walk at Palaia Park in Ocean Township, a ten mile walk around Manasquan Reservoir in Howell, and a 12 mile walk on the boardwalk from Asbury Park to Sea Girt.
The group is already planning fundraising efforts for the upcoming year. Each member must raise a total of $1,800 in order to participate in the walk.
Last year the 2,700 participants in the walk raised a total of $7 million, Strunk said.
The generosity of people is amazing, said Evernham.
Strunk said the team is looking for corporate sponsors to help raise money for next years walk.
The three friends have gotten family members to participate, as both Evernham and Strunks daughters did the walk this year, as did Boyds sister from Iowa.
Evernhams sister, Tina Ellis, knitted hot-pink boas for the ladies to wear during the walk, which helped the team to stand out. This year Ellis will be participating in the walk.
Strunk and Evernham described the amazing experience that is the Avon Walk after their team meeting last week.
They said that after the first day of the walk many of the participants slept in tents on Randolph Island, underneath the tri-borough bridge.
Strunk said that during the evening there are activities for the walkers, who can also take care of their bodies by getting massages and doing yoga.
It was just fun to be together with everybody that night, said Evernham.
Strunk said the walk features people of different ages, backgrounds, and careers, but that even though you dont know anything about fellow participants, there is still a strong sense of love at the event.
You just love everybody and everybody loves each other, she said.
To find out more about the Avon Walk or to make a donation, visit www.avonwalk.org.
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