Runners approach the finish line at the 2013 Run For her Life race. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com

Staff Report

Put on your running (or walking) shoes. At 9 a.m. Sunday, March 30 the Los Alamos Chapter of Hadassah  and Atomic City Roadrunners will present the fourth annual Run for Her Life. The event is a 5K and 10K race in Los Alamos to raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer.

The race will begin at East Park on East Road, also known as N.M. 502. Register at the race for a fee of $30, which net the registrants a t-shirt with the race logo. Register at the event on race day. Those not inclined to walk or run are invited to register, wear their T-shirt, and cheer at the finish line. All donations and race proceeds will be donated to Hadassah for breast cancer research, education and treatment.

This is the only race specifically targeting breast cancer to be held in Los Alamos. This year, 1.3 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer and almost 500,000 will die from the disease. 

In 1995, scientists at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, working with the National Institutes of Health, made the breakthrough discovery that a genetic mutation was linked to breast cancer. Hadassah Medical Center is one of the foremost centers for cancer research in the world. Since then, research around the world has focused on the role of the BRCA genes in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Hadassah advocates for women at risk to be tested for this gene, and as a result of Hadassah’s grassroots lobbying efforts, the GINA Act, the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, was passed. This law prevents insurance and employment discrimination against those who are tested and discovered to be a carrier for any type of genetic disorder.