Thousands race for breast cancer cure

In celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, breast cancer survivor Carmela Ledet volunteered and walked along with many fellow survivors at the Oct. 2 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

“(It’s to) find a cure to help more people, so that nobody else will have to go through this terrible thing,” said Ledet, an advanced service representative of the Central Africa Business Unit at the Marathon Oil Company.

Ledet, who was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 1993, made sure that like the other years she volunteered through the Presenting Partner of Komen, Marathon Oil Company, she would give it her all when she walked and raised money for the cause.

“What motivates me is that I am a breast cancer survivor,” she said. “Back when I was diagnosed, I made a commitment to myself that if I made it through this, I would do all I could do to help find a cure.”

Each of the 110 Marathon Oil employees like Ledet, who volunteered at the Downtown Houston race, were placed at different stations throughout the Sam Houston park area to help runners and walkers.

“We have three stations for handing out water, water misting (to cool off race competitors) and a survivor tent,” she said. “The survivor tent is where our volunteers pass out goody bags for the cancer survivors.”

Many of the Marathon Oil volunteers took part in the race either for support of family and friends or, like Ledet, because of their own struggle with cancer.

“I think a lot of people — whether affiliated with Marathon or other teams and organizations — do the race because they have a family member that has been affected by breast cancer,” Ledet said. “They feel they have a personal responsibility to help out in some way.”

Mechanical engineering student Luke Seliger ran in the race this year for that purpose.

Unlike the last two years, Seliger wanted to compete in the race instead of volunteering.

“I have had a history of cancer in my family,” Seliger said. “While my participation doesn’t seem like much, I feel anything I can do will help.”

Seliger said he hopes that a lot of money is raised this year.

“This money will help people get screened and tested, which I believe is a great way to prevent a potential problem someone may have from becoming life threatening,” he said. “I do feel the money should also go towards finding alternatives to surgery, chemo and radiation therapy.”

Ledet took a different approach and reached out to raise money through Facebook this year.

“I encouraged my Facebook friends to contribute from anywhere up to $1, because it’s not about raising all $15,000,” she said. “Even if I don’t reach my goal I know it’s fine, because it will have impacted someone’s life by benefitting from a mammogram to treatment with the money that is raised.”

While Ledet raised money as an individual, companies that sponsored the race, including Marathon Oil, Chevron, Palais Royal, Exxon and Kroger, contributed as well. This year Marathon Oil was the number one contributor.

“So far we have raised approximately $74,000,” Marathon team leader Moji Badru said. “But our goal is still $100,000.”

Though more $22 million has been raised ever since the race became affiliated with the cancer center, Ledet still doesn’t focus on the dollar signs.

“It doesn’t matter the amount you raise,” she said. “What matters is that it goes towards saving someone’s life.”