(Featured photo is from the 2022 Miracle Mile Walk. Photo courtesy Miracle Mile Walk Facebook page. Pink October is a series highlighting breast cancer awareness month)
The Piedmont Augusta Foundation will hold its 23rd annual Miracle Mile Walk from 8 to11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Augusta Common, 836 Reynolds St.
Saving lives through early detection of breast cancer is made possible by local support of the Miracle Mile Walk, a three-mile fun walk through scenic downtown Augusta, in which participants have the opportunity to support a family member, friend or co-worker diagnosed with breast cancer. Historically, more than 10,000 community members attend the event, according to a news release from Piedmont Augusta Hospital.
One hundred percent of the Miracle Mile Walk’s net proceeds stay in the Augusta community to provide lifesaving screenings to women in our community regardless of their ability to pay. The mammograms and other tests are performed in Piedmont Augusta’s Randy W. Cooper, M.D., Center for Breast Health Services and aboard the mobile mammography unit.
Piedmont Augusta has this region’s first nationally accredited Breast Health Center. Since 2021, more than 67,000 exams or procedures have been performed and 1,577 have been diagnosed with cancer in our community. Piedmont Augusta is also home to the region’s only mobile mammography unit. Since 2002, the Mobile has performed more than 80,000 mammograms in cities and towns in our 25-county region and helped uncover 375 cases of breast cancer, the release said.
Go to themiraclemilewalk.org to register to walk or join a team, donate, track the progress of funds raised by individuals and teams and for other event updates.
Survivors will be recognized, will receive a free T-shirt and button and will lead the event.·
The Miracle Mile Walk began in 2001 with 90 walkers who raised $3,000 to support breast cancer screenings on the region’s only Mobile Mammography Unit. The former University Health Care Foundation has raised millions of dollars to help women in our community receive screening mammograms regardless of their ability to pay, the release continued.
Queenie Jones, a former Kendall Company employee and past University Health Care Foundation board member, came up with the idea of the Miracle Mile Walk to bring breast cancer awareness to business and industry and to raise money to fight breast cancer. University Health Care Foundation implemented the walk and has nurtured its growth over the past 21 years.
Augusta Good News is a local, digital newspaper. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
