10,000 participate in Panerathon run for breast cancer

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Sarah Gartland’s summer was going smoothly and uneventfully until she and her family received news that was as

devastating as it was unexpected.

“Three weeks ago, this wasn’t the thing in the family. This hit us out of left field and the family is devastated,” the Boardman woman said, referring to learning that her 62-year-old mother, Marcia Powell, had undergone a mammogram that revealed she could have an advanced stage of breast cancer.

Instead of succumbing to her grief, however, Gartland dealt with the blow by becoming one of an estimated 10,000 people of all ages who took part in Sunday’s sixth annual Panerathon 10-kilometer/2-mile Fun Run and Walk at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown.

Proceeds from the event, said to be the Mahoning Valley’s largest community fundraiser, are to benefit the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center. The center is the first of its kind in Youngstown.

“We try to fill the needs any woman may have regarding treatment and diagnostic tests,” noted Lindsey Farran, special-events intern with the Boardman-based Mercy Health Foundation, which is affiliated with the breast-care center. “We want to provide these services for them.”

Read the full story with a list of winners Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.