And they're off--running wildly through the desert and the buses!
Lesley Jane Seymour
1 of 4
October 24, 2009: Cairo, Egypt. It took us nearly an hour to pull up to the pyramids in Giza for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We had expected only 3000 racers in a country where breast cancer is called The Evil Disease, but word had gotten out that over 7000 had actually registered to run. When we drove up next to a bus full of Egyptian women wearing racing t-shirts and pink head scarves, my heart jumped: Admitting you have breast cancer
—by wearing a pink t-shirt or pink head scarf
—in Egypt today is like admitting you had AIDS back in the 1980s in New York. It is totally taboo. As we waved to the women in the other bus, they waved back
—an amazing moment of bonding. In fact, the entire day was an amazing moment of cross-cultural sharing.
And They're Off!
Fighting breast cancer is such a monumental task, why not bring the race to one of the Seven Wonders of the World? When the clock started, 7000 Egyptians spilled into the desert and ran or walked the approximately three miles to the finish line. It was the first race of its kind in the Middle East.
October 24, 2009: Cairo, Egypt. It took us nearly an hour to pull up to the pyramids in Giza for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We had expected only 3000 racers in a country where breast cancer is called The Evil Disease, but word had gotten out that over 7000 had actually registered to run. When we drove up next to a bus full of Egyptian women wearing racing t-shirts and pink head scarves, my heart jumped: Admitting you have breast cancer
—by wearing a pink t-shirt or pink head scarf
—in Egypt today is like admitting you had AIDS back in the 1980s in New York. It is totally taboo. As we waved to the women in the other bus, they waved back
—an amazing moment of bonding. In fact, the entire day was an amazing moment of cross-cultural sharing.
The U.S. Delegation from Komen
All of us found the day to be surprising, moving and energizing. We were all impressed by the turnout of not just women but young men and boys. The boys are the ones who will really have to break the taboo over breast cancer. It was an amazing moment of sister- and brotherhood.
October 24, 2009: Cairo, Egypt. It took us nearly an hour to pull up to the pyramids in Giza for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We had expected only 3000 racers in a country where breast cancer is called The Evil Disease, but word had gotten out that over 7000 had actually registered to run. When we drove up next to a bus full of Egyptian women wearing racing t-shirts and pink head scarves, my heart jumped: Admitting you have breast cancer
—by wearing a pink t-shirt or pink head scarf
—in Egypt today is like admitting you had AIDS back in the 1980s in New York. It is totally taboo. As we waved to the women in the other bus, they waved back
—an amazing moment of bonding. In fact, the entire day was an amazing moment of cross-cultural sharing.
Runners Fashion Their Own Looks
Women showed their creativity by coming up with their own personal designs for the race. These women are sporting netted butterflies.
Hala Moddelmog, President & Chief Executive Officer and Nancy G. Brinker, Founder, Susan G, Komen for the Cure cheer women on at the half-way point
Lesley Jane Seymour
4 of 4
October 24, 2009: Cairo, Egypt. It took us nearly an hour to pull up to the pyramids in Giza for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We had expected only 3000 racers in a country where breast cancer is called The Evil Disease, but word had gotten out that over 7000 had actually registered to run. When we drove up next to a bus full of Egyptian women wearing racing t-shirts and pink head scarves, my heart jumped: Admitting you have breast cancer
—by wearing a pink t-shirt or pink head scarf
—in Egypt today is like admitting you had AIDS back in the 1980s in New York. It is totally taboo. As we waved to the women in the other bus, they waved back
—an amazing moment of bonding. In fact, the entire day was an amazing moment of cross-cultural sharing.
The Half-way Mark
“I always feel that she’s here,” says Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, referring to her sister Susan G. Komen—for whom she started the foundation (Susan died of breast cancer in 1978). “I always cry sometime during the day when I connect with her again.” Brinker says what moves her is that the race is a symbol “of women coming from moments of darkness into the light.”
Women's bravery is always amazing. I hope the Susan B. Komen Foundation can really begin to help the women of Egypt, but clearly those women are ready to start helping themselves.
