JACKSON –The sky and walkways lit up around a corner of the township recently during the first METAvivor Glow Walk held at the Adventure Crossing Sports and Entertainment facility.
The event was a bit unique because it was held at dusk, when teams wearing bright clothing and carrying glow sticks made their way around a path. Some teams wore bright pink, the color of Breast Cancer Awareness.
This marked the first year for this event that was coordinated by breast cancer survivor Jessica Fioretti who works for the township school district. Fioretti said she was very pleased with the phenomenal turnout. She walked with fellow members of the Jackson Education Association team from across the school district who turned out with family members to support the cause.
Fioretti said the fundraiser was designed to shine a light on the importance of critical funding for metastatic breast cancer research, also known as Stage 4, where the cancer has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body.
Jackson resident Jessica Fioretti looks at the many participants of the METAvivor Glow Walk that she organized and that was held at the Adventure Crossing Sports Complex. (Photo by Jose Santiago of Twilight Events)
Some important facts about MBC include:
Approximately 30% of early-stage breast cancer survivors will have a recurrence as metastatic disease.
Metastases can occur as early as several months to 25+ years after treatment
685,000 people a year die from metastatic breast cancer globally.
Only 22% of U.S. patients live longer than five years, and only 11% of those that do, live longer than 10 years.
There is no cure
Fioretti said her own health crisis led her to spearhead the event. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. I went through what I had to and was just shy of my fourth year of being cancer free and felt a lump in my arm pit and did all the testing and it came back that I was having a reoccurrence of breast cancer.”
She had to advocate for follow up testing. “They don’t typically give you PET scans because you are diagnosed with cancer, even originally. My doctor had agreed and that is when they found it had metastasized to other areas of the body so in October, I was diagnosed stage 4 metastatic for breast cancer.”
“Even with being diagnosed with breast cancer the first time around, I was very aware that it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and places tend to put all their pink out and fundraise and you find out some of the bigger foundations are not putting a lot of funding – if any – toward stage 4 breast cancer research which is the most underfunded and most terrible stage of breast cancer,” she added.
She said, “it was motivation for me to do something because we need this. I was aware of METAvivor before I was diagnosed with stage 4. Just because you get diagnosed early doesn’t mean it might not reoccur. The type I have has a high chance of reoccurring from months to years to decades later.”
Participants get a briefing before the METAvivor Glow Walk. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
Terri Smith was among the walkers who took part in the event that night. “What a great evening supporting beautiful soul Jess Fioretti at the Jackson METAvivor Glow Walk. We walked in this wonderful event to bring awareness and raise funds towards finding a cure for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.”
Another supporter, Kristi Halpin, shared her story. “We are raising funds for METAvivor, which gives all of their raised money to stage 4 breast cancer research, to get us more treatment and, one day, a cure to end this awful disease.”
“I will be on some form of treatment for the rest of my life. Over 41,000 people die in the U.S. every day from breast cancer, yet only 2-5% of funds go to research for a cure. The five-year survival rate for my type of cancer is 30%. That is not enough, and stage 4 needs more. By raising money for METAvivor, we ensure that all the money raised goes directly to stage 4 research, which is the only deadly form of this disease,” Halpin added.
Participants in the recently held Breast Cancer Awareness METAvivor Glow Walk light their path at the Adventure Crossing Sports and Entertainment Complex in Jackson. (Photo by Jose Santiago of Twilight Events)
“There is definitely awareness about breast cancer but there is time to make a change and really push for a cure,” Fioretti said. Those interested in making a donation can do so by visiting metavivor.org
Jackson Council President Jennifer Kuhn read a proclamation that was presented to Fioretti during a recent township council meeting that recognized Oct. 13 as Metastatic Breast Cancer Day in Jackson.
The Glow Walk was the second of two breast cancer fundraisers held in Jackson this month. Kuhn told The Jackson Times that she enjoyed taking part in a Breast Cancer benefit walk that was held at Six Flags Great Adventure for the Susan G. Komen Foundation a week prior to the METAvivor Glow Walk. For more information and to donate to that organization, visit Komen.org
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