Ten years ago, Brooklyn mom Debbie Moss died after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
The loss to her family and friends was immense, but it wasn’t until last year that they came up with the perfect tribute to the lifelong Old Mill Basin resident who succumbed to the devastating illness at the age of 41 — a memorial walk whose purpose was not only to celebrate Moss’s life but also to raise money to fight the disease that claimed it. The second annual Debbie Moss 3K Ovarian Cancer Memorial Walk will be held on September 13 in Marine Park. Participants should meet at the entrance located at East 32nd Street and Avenue S, for registration beginning at 9 a.m. The walk itself will commence at 10 a.m., and will be held rain or shine.
All money raised from the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society (ACS) to be used for research into ovarian cancer, said Moss’s sister, Norine Strazza, who is organizing the event. Last year, the event raised close to $10,000, with approximately 200 people participating. This year, Strazza said, she is hoping to raise triple that amount, with double the number of walkers, plus corporate sponsorships.
“I’m trying to pull out all the stops,” Strazza noted.
“It’s been a lot easier dealing with Debbie’s death, knowing I’m helping people, and knowing that she didn’t die in vain,” she added.
While the first walk was held in April, the event was moved to September, this year, because it is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
On-site registration for the walk is $10; t-shirts also cost $10.
Besides raising money for research into the disease, the event serves another purpose — disseminating information about the deadly ailment.
“I want young and old people to know that it’s there, and that they have to open their eyes to it,” Strazza told this paper. This year, there will be two speakers, “a 26-year-old survivor and a middle-aged, five time survivor,” Strazza noted.
For further information, log onto http://teamacs.acsevents.org/debbiemoss or email Strazza at Nor1122@aol.com.
Statistics indicated that approximately one in 70 American women will be afflicted with ovarian cancer during their lifetime.