GREAT STRIDES

August 31, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

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.”

Funds will support Joanie’s Promise Fund at the foundation, which helps Mahoning Valley women receive early-detection, life-saving screenings, breast care and support services, regardless of ability to pay, Farran explained.

Gartland recalled that her mother’s procedure revealed a lump and, about two weeks ago, a biopsy showed that it was malignant. More recently, a large tumor was discovered, and Powell likely will receive chemotherapy in about four weeks, she continued.

Gartland added that the news was hard on her mother largely because Powell was used to taking care of others.

“She loves birds, gardening, trees and her six children,” Gartland said. “She’s very maternal and loves taking care of everybody. As soon as you walk in the door, she wants to feed you.”

On behalf of her mother, Gartland helped form a four-member team for the Panerathon consisting of her boyfriend, Mark Strader; her sister, Rebecca Powell; and Rebecca’s fianc , Josh Baumann.

Thousands of walkers and runners were on teams to remember and honor those who died from or have survived breast cancer. Teams included Maravola’s Marvels, Team Kempe, Save Second Base, Team Sweeney, The Griswolds, Team Lisa, Kathy’s Rat Pack, Team H.D. Davis, Doing it for Debi, Team Carrie & Kristina, Above the Clouds, Team Alison, Joanie’s Sisters and the Youngstown Metropolitan Ladies Short Holes Golf League.

Other participants included the Youngstown State University Penguins football team, the Boardman High School soccer and volleyball teams and the Leetonia High School cheerleading squad.

Also happy to do a little walking and running was Judy Rossi, who was part of the five-member golf-league group and who worked 15 years as a registered nurse at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

“We want to encourage others to be positive in their fight against breast cancer and know that the whole community supports them,” she explained.

Rossi said she was walking to support Toni Shirilla, her mother-in-law; Laura Brown, the league’s treasurer; and Kathy Kreuzel, a friend. All three are cancer survivors.

Also on Rossi’s mind and heart was the late Tracy Starr, a close friend who lost her battle with cancer and, like Rossi, was part of Cardinal Mooney High School’s Class of 1978.

The Mahoning Valley has one of the nation’s highest rates of breast cancer, possibly because many people have lacked jobs and health-care coverage and, as a result, don’t seek treatment until they are sick, noted Kathie Marini, an education-outreach worker for the breast-care center.

Consequently, many women fail to get preventive care until they are faced with an advanced form of the disease, she said.

“The earlier the detection, the better the results,” said Marini, adding that she facilitates a monthly support group for survivors and is grateful for contributions that events such as the Panerathon have helped generate.