Lake Arrowhead Curves Putting Together a Team For 6th Annual Believe Walk

LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. - Sept. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Half of all men and one-third of all women in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetimes, and today about 11 million people alive in the United States have had some type of cancer. Each October, to celebrate Breast Cancer Prevention Month, Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer team up to present the annual Believe Walk (http://www.believeinlandempire.com), located in the historic district of Redlands. This year’s walk, set for Sunday, October 6, 2013, will raise funds to benefit local cancer fighting organizations and help provide the best care for cancer patients and their families.

Members of the Lake Arrowhead Curves (http://curveslakearrowhead.com/) are putting together a team to participate in this year’s walk, in part, to honor two of their own—one who has successfully beaten breast cancer and another who was recently diagnosed.

In 2009, Chris Navratil was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer when she was 35 years old. A mother of three, she regrets failing to do self-exams, which could have detected the cancer before it progressed. Instead, her doctor found a suspicious lump during a routine physical which proved difficult to treat because it was so advanced.

Initially, Chris underwent a partial mastectomy, where surgeons removed affected tissue including lymph glands under her left arm. She also had high doses of chemotherapy, which made her exceedingly sick to her stomach and claimed her hair. A second mastectomy later proved necessary as did high-dose radiation, which severely burned her skin—an associated but extremely rare side effect.

“It was a difficult time for me and my family. Admittedly, at times, I wanted to give up. I had days where I didn’t want to get out of bed let alone face another treatment. But we got through it. And we’re stronger for it,” she says.

Chris and several of her friends have participated in the Inland Empire Believe Walk (http://www.believeinlandempire.com/site/TR?fr_id=1050&...) for four years running to celebrate her victory and support others who have the disease.

“The (Believe) walk means so much to me,” says Chris. “It feels so good to see that people can live through it. You can do it. Cancer is scary but it doesn’t have to kill you.”

That message means a lot to fellow Lake Arrowhead Curves’ member, Donna Levy, who was recently diagnosed. The Curves’ team will walk in support of Chris and Donna and will include several members of the Lake Arrowhead Curves classes taught by owner/operator Candy Krelnikov and instructor Natalie Glick.

“An important part of good health is exercise. So we are happy to participate in the walk to support Chris and Donna and also to encourage a healthy lifestyle,” said Candy Krelnikov.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2013, approximately:

·       232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed.

·       64,640 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).

·       39,620 deaths from breast cancer in women will occur.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, after skin cancer. In 2012, The Believe Walk event hosted 10,000 participants, including hundreds of self-reporting cancer survivors from Southern California. The Walk raised $500,000 which has been dedicated to cancer fighting organizations and cancer centers in the region.  The walk is held to help raise awareness and funds for local cancer fighting organizations to ensure the Inland Empire communities have the best cancer fighting resources in Southern California.

Since its inception in 2008, The Believe Walk has brought awareness and support to the local area by donating $1.7 million to Cancer Centers and support services in this region. Money raised through the Believe Walk has been donated to support:

·       Stater Bros. Charities & Inland Women Fighting Cancer Patient Resource Center at Loma Linda University Cancer Center

·       Women’s Imaging and Wellness Center at St. Bernardine Medical Center (http://www.supportstbernardine.org/stellent/groups/public...)

·       Redlands Community Hospital Imaging (http://www.redlandshospital.org/Services/Cancer-Care/Defa...)

·       The Beloved Foundation (http://belovedfoundation.com/)

·       Michelle’s Place (http://michellesplace.org/)

To learn more, register or volunteer for the Believe Walk, visit www.BelieveIE.com (http://www.believeinlandempire.com). To learn more about Curves Lake Arrowhead (http://curveslakearrowhead.com/), call (909) 336-0111. Now is a great time to join Curves because new members who sign up in September can work out for free for the entire month if they pay the start-up fee.