Brockton, MA - Signature Healthcare announced Sunday, May 4th as the date of the ninth annual Champions Fighting Cancer Walk. The Walk, which has quickly become one of the largest charity events in the Metro South area, is expected to draw thousands of area walkers and will raise funds to benefit Signature Healthcare cancer programs and the Chrystine M. Sullivan Memorial Foundation.

“This event has become a powerful symbol of the commitment that individuals in this region have to combating cancer on a local level,” said Norman B. Goodman, Signature Healthcare President & CEO. “Not only are we able to raise money for local cancer care by walking on the first Sunday in May, we are able to celebrate the lives of local cancer survivors and honor the memory of loved ones who have gone before us.”

“The Walk is a great example of how we can work together as a community to fight cancer locally,” said Robert Sullivan, President of Sullivan Tire and Chair of the Chrystine M. Sullivan Foundation. “With thousands of individuals walking side by side, we send a clear message that no one needs to battle cancer alone.”

The Walk
The 4.3-mile walk begins -- rain or shine -- at Brockton High School and finishes at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital. Registration will be open from 8 – 10 a.m. at the High School. Pledge sheets are turned in at registration. Parking will be available at Brockton High School, and walkers will receive free transportation to their cars after walking.

The walk route, starting at Marciano Stadium, Brockton High School, will be clearly marked and Brockton Police Officers will be stationed along the way to assist at intersections and with traffic safety. This year’s route will also include a stroll around the green grass of Campanelli Stadium, home of the Brockton Rox. Water stations and rest rooms will be available along the walk route.

Those unable to walk the 4.3-mile route can participate in a shorter 1.5-mile walk that begins at City Hall. Those walkers interested in the shorter route should still register at Brockton High School and a shuttle bus will bring them to City Hall promptly at 10:00 a.m.
At the completion of the walk, the hospital will offer a ‘Finish-Line’ celebration complete with live entertainment, hot dogs, hamburgers, soda and other refreshments. For the kids, the party will include face painting, balloons, and clowns. Shuttle bus service, available every 15 minutes, will bring walkers back to the High School from the Hospital. Last year, the Walk succeeded in bringing together 13,000 walkers to raised nearly $300,000 for the cause.

Make a Difference
Some tips on how area residents can make the most of their efforts:
- Recruit a group. The more the merrier! Carry a banner. Wear outrageous hats or costumes. Create a T-Shirt. Stand Out and Stand Up for a lifesaving cause.
- Set the pace and volunteer to be a team captain.
- Sign up sponsors. Ask friends, co-workers, neighbors, relatives, businesses, civic and religious groups to pledge their support in the fight against cancer.
- Create your own web page!! Getting started is easy, visit www.signature-healthcare.org and click ‘get started.’
- Volunteer to staff the event.
- Have fun and help save lives!

Fighting Cancer at Signature Healthcare
Proceeds raised through past years’ walks have helped fund some of the most advanced cancer-fighting technology in the region, right here at Signature Healthcare. The technology includes Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and plans for digital mammography.
IMRT utilizes computerized technology to control the delivery of radiation therapy by shaping the treatment precisely to the complex shape of a tumor, avoiding normal, unaffected tissue. Benefits of IMRT to patients include:
- Limits radiation dosage to healthy tissue
- Exceptional accuracy provides even more exact patient treatment
- Research shows that these treatments can reduce side effects by 75%

Proceeds raised through last year’s walk will help fund the introduction of new digital mammography equipment in Signature Healthcare’s Women’s Imaging Center. Recent studies show that digital mammography is a better method than traditional film-based tests for identifying cancers in certain women. Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) creates images that can be processed or manipulated in a variety of ways to better ‘see’ certain breast tumors currently difficult to see on film.

Signature Healthcare also currently treats cancer patients using TomoTherapy, the most advanced radiation therapy treatment option available. Signature Healthcare was the first treatment site in New England to offer TomoTherapy.

The Chrystine M. Sullivan Foundation
In 1994, Chrystine Sullivan, then only 48 years old, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer with a prognosis of one year to live. With the support of her husband Bob, and five children, she began her fight with cancer. Chrystine was fortunate. She had excellent health coverage and the financial resources that allowed her to pursue every treatment and option available.

Thanks to the support of her family and friends, Chrystine gained five years – five years that allowed her to celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary, see her daughter graduate from nursing school, and her only grandson play in his first baseball game. Still valiantly fighting, Chrystine passed away at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital on August 29, 1999 the place where each of her five children was born.

Prior to her illness, Chrystine worked diligently as a volunteer to make a difference in the lives of terminally ill children and their families. In honor of Chrystine, her family, her husband Bob, and their children established the Chrystine M. Sullivan Foundation to provide funding for treatment of cancer patients, medical resources, cancer research, and other support.

Those individuals interested in walking, or organizing a group of walkers should call the Signature Healthcare Foundation Office at 508-941-7078 or visit www.signature-healthcare.org for a brochure, pledge sheet, and route map.