9th Annual Champions Fighting Cancer Walk Registrations Still Being Accepted

Brockton, MA -  Thousands of walkers supported the 9th Annual Champions Fighting Cancer Walk on Sunday May 4th.  The Walk, which has quickly become one of the largest charity events in the Metro South area raises 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.”

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.