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Komen three-day walk winds through North Shore
Onlookers (from left) Shirley Niebling, Lisa Caster and Margit Novack cheer on walkers taking part in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, which raises money for breast-cancer research. | Photos by Joe Cyganowski~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: September 24, 2012 6:06AM
GLENVIEW
Residents of the North Shore were greeted with a sea of pink flowing through the streets Aug. 10 when more than 1,200 participants began their Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day walk.
Fifteen miles into their 60-mile weekend journey, participants gathered in the parking lot of Lyon Elementary School in Glenview to stretch, refresh and hydrate before heading back out for their final six miles of the day.
Glenview resident Jennifer Kittler and her daughter Jessica are taking part in their third Komen 3-Day. Like most, they were walking to help raise money and awareness while their thoughts were with someone else.
“My younger sister has stage four breast cancer,” Jennifer Kittler said. “We’re camping tonight in Merrilville and I have an 8 x 10 photo of her we’re going to put up in our tent.”
When the walk began that morning at Northbrook Court, Jessica Kittler carried a large flag with the words “My Aunt” stitched on. The flag had since been passed on to others as the large group of strangers slowly got to know each other.
“It’s more fun when you’re talking to other people,” Jessica Kittler said. “We talk to people and make friends.”
Michelle Primack of Northbrook and four of her friends formed Team Spark to participate in their first walk. Spark is their own acronym for Strong, Powerful, Amazing, Resilient and Kure.
In November 2011 Primack was diagnosed with breast cancer, which led to her friends joining together to support her.
“I learned to not sweat the small stuff and family and friends are important,” Primack said. “Without their support I don’t know if I could have gotten through this past year.”
Primack’s Northbrook neighbors Nina Furman and Alison Melnick were joined by Glencoe residents Stacy Pritsker and Dana Kotler as part of the team. Together the five raised more than $25,000 for breast cancer research.
“We’re supporting Michelle and the cause,” Furman said. “Breast cancer is now a very big part of my life. It’s affecting so many women our age and prompted me to self-examine and get mammograms.”~.
