A good crowd turned out for the North Fork Breast Health Coalition’s 28th annual 5K walk at Tanger Outlets in Riverhead Sunday, despite the rainy, windy weather from the lingering nor’easter.
“It’s been 28 years in a row, rain or shine,” NFBHC President Melanie McEvoy said. “Basically we’ve all been through so much already, between treatments and surviving and thriving. We’re not letting a little rain keep us back,” she said at the event Sunday morning.
McEvoy said the group was very grateful and excited to see such a large turnout in such inclement weather. “The weather doesn’t dampen the spirits of these ladies. They’ve been through so much that they don’t even bat an eye when they see a weather forecast like this,” she said. “They’re just survivors, and they push through and take care of business.”
The 5K walk at Tanger is an important fundraiser for the group, which provides people coping with breast cancer with free services and cash grants . It also funds research into detection and treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
Riverhead Council Member Ken Rothwell and his wife Debra are regular walkers in the 5K and this year was no different.
Rothwell spoke during the opening ceremony. “I just want to say how much this day means to me personally because my wife Debra is a breast cancer survivor, and she has done phenomenal,” he said. “Her bravery over the years makes me proud every day. It’s organizations like yourself that gather around to help somebody in the greatest time of need, and that was really what we learned: how much more love we had around us at that time than we ever thought.”
He thanked the walkers for showing support and letting everybody know how much they care. “You’re part of the whole healing process,” Rothwell said.
NFBHC board member Rob Stromski said a personal thank-you to Assembly Member Jodi Giglio, who attended the ceremony and walk.
Stromski said that when his wife Keri was in Stony Brook Hospital for breast cancer treatments during COVID, he couldn’t visit her in the hospital due to COVID restrictions. Senator Ken Lavalle and Giglio were got involved, Stromski said. “And basically now because of the fight that we had to get me to go see Keri, any time a caregiver wants go see your patient, [the hospital] will not have the ability to stop you from doing so,” Stromski said.
“Assemblywoman Giglio doesn’t say a lot of that stuff, but she has always been a really dear friend to me, a dear friend to Keri with all the struggles we were going through, and then she also had recognized Keri as a distinguished woman in the State of New York, and there was a plaque that was done, and she was able to to offer that plaque to my kids,” Stromski said.
“So, you know, Assemblywoman Giglio is somebody that’s deep rooted in the community. She loves her community. She does a lot,” Stromski said.
Giglio thanked Stromski and thanked all the walkers. “Thank you to everyone who showed up today, because it’s a lot to put this together. And I know Melanie and the board all worked so hard to get it together for you. So enjoy your walk, and I wish you a healthy, happy year coming, and many years to come,” Giglio said.
Reporting and photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr.
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