L-R: Terri Ainsworth, Dr. Paul Brock, Harbin Clinic Surgeon, Rhonda Wallace.
What fall event is both a triumphant run and an honor walk, an educational gathering and a competition, an opportunity to dress up or dress out in pink? In northwest Georgia, the answer is the annual Paper Doll Parade and Breast Cancer Awareness 5K.
Brought to you by Harbin Clinic and Atrium Health Floyd, the race and health walk is planned for Saturday, Sept. 27 at Ridge Ferry Park. It’s a rose-tinted road race, bringing awareness, celebrating survivors, walking alongside those who are on the journey and honoring the memory of those whose lives were taken by breast cancer.
One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. They are wives, mothers, daughters, aunts and sisters. Sometimes, though rarely, husbands, fathers, sons, uncles and brothers also have breast cancer. The Paper Doll Parade is more than a race — it’s a way to garner attention for prevention. Mammograms can detect breast cancer up to three years before it can be felt through a physical exam. Early detection is powerful. Cancers found at an earlier stage are typically smaller, less likely to have spread and are more responsive to treatment, lowering the risk of mortality.
Organized by the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Department, the bashful and blush Paper Doll Parade includes a costume contest for individuals and teams. Participants are encouraged to form teams, create fun names and wear either pink or custom paper doll costumes. Importantly, a dollar from every entry will go towards Floyd Healthcare Foundation’s scholarship fund to support women who can’t afford a mammogram. Donations are also collected online at
https://www.floyd.org/foundation/Pages/Make-a-Donation.aspx.
The event is named for the iconic pink-and-teal “paper doll” silhouettes that have become a citywide staple each October. Race and walk participants are encouraged to break out their pink and get creative with the paper doll theme. The paper dolls seemingly bloom around town as a reminder to schedule a mammogram, to bring awareness to breast cancer and to highlight The Breast Center’s Know in 24 promise that most Breast Center patients who receive a mammogram have their results within 24 hours.
Describing the impact of this event each year, Dr. Paul Brock said, “We’ve all but eliminated the agonizingly long wait times to get mammography results. Genetic testing is available. Treatment options are improving. This event celebrates those victories while also honoring survivors, supporters and patients who are still being treated. It’s important for them and for us as their caregivers to celebrate them while also having a little fun.”
Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, now one team, are proud to be the region’s largest and longest-serving cancer care provider, bringing years of expertise, experience and collaboration to every patient’s care. Their advanced imaging resources can detect cancer at its earliest stages while the comprehensive oncology support program ensures that every patient has greater comfort and support throughout their journey.
Want to Join in on the Fun?
Register for the Paper Doll Parade and Breast Cancer Awareness 5K now through Sept. 21 at
rfpra.com/breastcancerawareness5k. Here are more details:
- Pre-race costume contest start: 8:45 a.m.
- 5K start: 9 a.m.
- Health walk start: 9:15 a.m.
- Survivor recognition: after the race.
- Early registration: Now through Sept. 21, $31 (5K)
and $26 (health walk).
- In-person registration: $41 (5K and health walk).
- Groups registration: $16 per participant for the
walk and $21 per participant for the run until Friday, September 12.
