Event for South Brunswick Breast Cancer Victim Continues to Grow

It started out modestly as a community was still reeling from the loss of a South Brunswick wife and mother to breast cancer, but four years later it continues to grow. 

The first "Walk for Diane" event was put together in honor of Diane Goodwin, who died in August 2009 after a 16-year battle with breast cancer. Since that time the fundraiser has more than doubled in size and scope as it raised money for The Amy Foundation, which is named after , of Kendall Park, who died of breast cancer in 2007. Last year, the "Walk for Diane" brought out 270 walkers and volunteers, and helped raise more than $22,500.

"The first walk was only a few months after my wife passed," said Diane's husband John Goodwin. "I can't say it was hastily planned because the Amy Foundation had already done some charity events, but the annual walk has really grown in terms of volunteers and support from the local community. I don't think we had even 100 walkers that first year, it was mainly a lot of people who knew Diane. Now it's grown so much, I didn't even think this would happen, but it's really impressed me how many people rally around the meaning of helping others who can't help themselves."

Kendall Park resident Arie Behar created The Amy Foundation the same year he lost his wife with a mission to help women over the age of 40, who are without health insurance, obtain free screening mammograms. Since that time the foundation has raised over $200,000 and has helped over 1,000 uninsured women obtain a free mammogram.

The walk holds a special meaning as Amy and Diane were friends who helped provide support for each other as they were fighting breast cancer.

"In this life you have really good friends and really good acquaintances,"  "They became better friends when Amy was diagnosed and reached out to Diane for help. They developed a friendship Arie and I will never quite understand, because they shared the sisterhood of this disease and they helped each other. We all knew there was something special between the two of them. It was special and it was theirs."

Initially, the foundation partnered with Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick to provide a grant for free screenings and to promote awareness for the importance of early detection. Since  at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and at the Princeton HealthCare System for women whose mammograms suggest the possibility of breast cancer. The foundation is 100 percent volunteer driven with no staff on payroll.

“Our collective efforts are making a real difference in the lives of women who lack financial means and we want to reach many others who need our help,”  “Support of diagnostic testing is a logical next step for The Amy Foundation and we’re excited and gratified to also be working with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.”

On Sunday, Oct. 21, the fourth annual “Walk for Diane” will be held at Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick. The walk also coincides with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. The 5K walk begins at 9 a.m. with check-in at 8 a.m. The walk will originate and end in the park at the intersection of Easton Avenue and Huntington Street across from Saint Peter’s University Hospital.

The Walk for Diane registration fee is $15 per person and each registrant is asked to raise at least $70 (half the cost of a screening mammogram) by using the foundation’s online fundraising tool at www.stayclassy.org.

The web site also enables registrants to create their own fundraising page to reach out to family and friends for support.

For more information and to register, visit www.amyfoundation.org. 

“This year we’re encouraging many more people to join us and to help continue programs that are making a meaningful difference to thousands of women," Goodwin said.

--

Follow Patch on Facebook. 

Visit www.facebook.com/SouthBrunswickPatch and like us. You can also find us on Twitter at twitter.com/SBrunswickPatch.