Race for the Cure

9/28/2012

Northwest Ohio's 19th annual Race for the Cure is expected to draw its usual impressive gathering to downtown Toledo on Sunday. As the top runners emerge from the crowd of 17,000 or more at Summit and Monroe streets, both participants and spectators will be reminded that winning comes in many forms.

The race has put $8 million back into this community since 2000 in the form of services for women and men who must battle breast cancer with limited or no health insurance. It has raised $2 million for national breast-cancer research supported by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Race for the Cure is not the only such event on the horizon. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual Walk to Cure Diabetes is scheduled for Oct. 6 in Ottawa Park.

These events provide hope, unity, and healing. The Race for the Cure isn't exclusively about who comes in first. Winning occurs when triumph prevails over tragedy. It is found among those who survive -- and also in the will and determination of those who don't.

There are many reasons to support these causes and similar ones. In this highly competitive world, though, sometimes it's good just to remember that winning comes in many forms.