If I were asked to name my favorite intersection in Memphis, Tennessee, my answer wouldn’t take long: Union Avenue and B.B. King Boulevard (the latter was known as Third Street until 2015 when it was renamed in honor of the blues legend). On the southwest corner, we have the Peabody, the South’s Grand Hotel, a structure that defined Memphis long before anyone spoke the word “Graceland.” On the northeast corner, we have AutoZone Park, home of the Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds, and a place I’ve essentially raised my two daughters over the last 18 years.
This Saturday, that magical intersection will glow with energy and hope as the 25th-annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure starts (on Union) and ends (on B.B. King), a 5K to raise money in the ongoing battle to beat breast cancer. Since the first Memphis race in 1993, more than $10 million has been granted locally, every dollar taking us a sneakered-step closer to making breast cancer a disease of the past. (This is also the 20th anniversary of Memphis magazine publishing the official Race for the Cure program, among the most inspiring partnerships of my professional career.)
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, shortly after her 68th birthday. My younger sister — my only sibling — was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, not long after her 41st birthday. (Don’t wait until you’re “old” to measure breast health. Early detection remains the single most important step toward recovery.) With two daughters, my fear of this disease is rather acute . . . and my determination to help in the fight unwavering. My mom and sister are healthy now, living the lives of grateful survivors, but once cancer enters the room, it tends to stick around. Every runner (or walker) this Saturday in downtown Memphis will be fueling the battle that remains to be fought.
It’s not too late to register (komenmemphis.org) and never too late to make a donation, large or small. The race will begin at 9 a.m. Whether or not you can make it to this year’s Race for the Cure, put on some pink this Saturday and raise a glass to the brave women (and men) who are putting breast cancer in the rearview mirror.
