250 Breast Cancer Survivors and Hikers to Summit Mt. Crested Butte for Prevention of the Disease

Breast Cancer Fund
Friday, 19 July 2002

The Breast Cancer Fund's 5th Annual PEAK HIKE Expected to Raise $70,000 for Breast Cancer Prevention Efforts on August 10

On Saturday, August 10, 2002, 250 survivors and their supporters will tackle a 12,000' mountain in the same way they combat breast cancer - one step at a time. The 5th annual PEAK HIKE - Mt. Crested Butte incorporates spectacular views and physical challenges in an enthusiastic event that aims to raise funds for The Breast Cancer Fund's (TBCF) efforts to eradicate the environmental links to the disease.

This year's PEAK HIKE - Mt. Crested Butte is held in honor of Cheryl Ryan, a longtime resident of Crested Butte who participated in TBCF's last three Mt. Crested Butte PEAK HIKES, and all of the women and men we have lost to this devastating disease. Cheryl died of breast cancer on June 7 at the age of 39.

"PEAK HIKES are an incredible chance to honor those we've lost and to give breast cancer survivors an opportunity to join with their friends and family, reclaim their strength and provide inspiration to all who have faced the disease," said Jeanne Rizzo, Executive Director of TBCF. "It is truly amazing when a woman who has been told that she may die from breast cancer finds herself alive on a mountaintop surrounded by friends, family, and the supportive community of Crested Butte."

Every year, more than 2,500 people participate in one of TBCF's three PEAK HIKES, which raise a combined net total of over $600,000 for prevention initiatives nationally. This year, the additional hikes are taking place in October in Mount Tamalpais, CA, and Delaware Water Gap, NJ. Corporate sponsors for PEAK HIKE - Mt. Crested Butte are LUNA Bar, Community First Bank and Morty Gudelsky.

With each hiker required to raise a minimum of $100 in pledges, the goal of the hike is to raise $70,000. Fifty percent of net proceeds will support breast cancer programs in Colorado. The remaining funds will support The Breast Cancer Fund, a national, nonprofit organization based in San Francisco whose mission is to respond to the public health crisis of breast cancer by identifying - and advocating for the elimination of - the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease.

"While the focus of the PEAK HIKE is on celebrating life, there is also a serious side," emphasized Rizzo. "These events give us an opportunity to educate the community on the toxins in our environment that are linked to breast cancer. Only by focusing on prevention can we keep more women from facing this disease."

When all known risk factors and characteristics are added together, including family history and genetics, more than 50% of breast cancer cases remain unexplained. However, there is powerful evidence that environmental exposures, including chemicals found in pesticides, prescription drugs, cleaning products, fuels and plastics, may trigger the development of breast cancer. Meanwhile, a woman's lifetime risk for breast cancer has risen from 1 in 22 in the 1940s to 1 in 8 today.

TBCF advocates for policies that put the public's health first in order to eliminate toxic chemicals from our breasts and our bodies. TBCF's PEAK HIKES exhibit a powerful and physical effort to accomplish this goal and stop the rising tide of breast cancer.

To register for the PEAK HIKE online or to get more information, go to www.breastcancerfund.org.

For more information, or to contact Breast Cancer Fund, see their website at: www.breastcancerfund.org