“There are many types of cancer, and each of us has a personal story of how we have been touched by at least one of them,” said Dr. Jorge Cortes, director of the Georgia Cancer Center at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. “This is why we host Unite in the Fight each year. It is our opportunity to honor cancer survivors and a chance to remember those we lost, while raising funds for projects to improve the patient experience.”
Money raised through this event will go to the Georgia Cancer Center’s Unite in the Fight Against Cancer Fund, created to support initiatives available to all cancer patients. Examples of past funded projects include a mental health initiative for cancer patients struggling with impact of their illness, art supplies for pediatric patients receiving radiation therapy, funding for wigs or prostheses for self-pay breast cancer patients, tablets for movies or music for ease of treatment time in the hospital setting, and equipment which allows staff to better access a patient’s veins for IV fluids.
“The Georgia Cancer Center strives to meet the needs of patients from different communities across the state of Georgia and western South Carolina,” said Dr. Anand P. Jillella, J. Harold Harrison, MD, Distinguished University Chair in Medical Oncology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. “Following treatment, many patients ask us how they can get involved to help others going through a similar journey. This event is a way to engage patients, families and the surrounding communities for a sense of connection and awareness.”
Unite in the Fight Against Cancer 2023 will take place from 8-11am on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Georgia Cancer Center, starting at the M. Bert Storey Research Building at 1410 Laney Walker Blvd. Participants can register for the 1.5-mile walk which also serves something like a tour, passing each of the locations included in the Georgia Cancer Center campus footprint: research, hospital care, pediatric care, sickle cell care, infusion centers, radiation therapy, and outpatient services. Participants can learn more about the work of the Georgia Cancer Center as they pass information signs and feel encouraged by cheering stations staffed by civic groups and volunteers. They can enjoy fellowship walking as a team with family and coworkers, or sign up as individuals and meet new friends. This walk is designed to be inclusive for everyone who wants to join; individuals and teams determine their own fundraising goal, with no fundraising minimum. Registration is online at uniteaugusta.com.
