Tri-State Specialists Participates in the 2010 Siouxland Race For The Cure

The Tri-State Specialists Team Poses Before The Race

The second annual Komen Siouxland Race for the Cure took place Sunday, May 9 in Sioux City, Iowa.  The 5k race coursed through the downtown area, beginning and finishing at the Tyson Center.  More than 3000 participants took part in this year’s event.  The Komen Race For The Cure website describes the goals of the annual race:

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series, the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world, raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

As a board certified plastic surgeon, breast reconstruction after breast cancer treatment is a large part of my practice.  This year Tri-State Specialists, LLP-Plastic Surgery decided to sponsor a team for the first time.  A total of 21 staff and family members took part in the event. 

The team was able to raise nearly $2700 for the cause.  As the team captain, I was extremely encouraged by the level of generosity shown by our colleagues, business associates, friends and family.  Among the numerous thoughtful donations, was a donation from Pierce Street Same Day Surgery for $1000.

Team Members Showing Off Their Form

Team members really enjoyed being a part of this extremely important event.  “I felt participating in the Race For The Cure was very rewarding.  The community support along the route was inspiring, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” says Tri-State employee Julie Hofmeyer.

Breast cancer is quite common in the United States affecting 1 in 8 women during their lifetimes.  The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 192,370 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the United States in 2009, and there were roughly 40,170 deaths from breast cancer.  A number of women choose to undergo mastectomy as part of their breast cancer treatment.  Other surgical treatments include lumpectomy or partial mastectomy with sentinel node biopsy, commonly known as breast conservation therapy (BCT).

With Dr. Larry Volz, A Local Breast Cancer Surgeon

Most women who undergo mastectomy are candidates for breast reconstruction.  Breast reconstruction can begin at the same time as the mastectomy, or in a delayed fashion, a minimum of six months later.  According to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), a total of 86,424 breast reconstruction procedures were performed in 2009.

Amidst the alarming news of the prevalence of breast cancer, there is hope:  over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors live in the United States today.

Posing With My Family

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