Every year, Oak Point Amphitheatre hosts Head for the Cure’s annual 5K run aimed towards raising money to fund brain tumor and brain cancer research. This Saturday will mark Head for the Cure’s ninth anniversary of their 5K runs.
Participating in this year’s run will be Bob and Win Christiansen. Bob and Win first got involved with Head for the Cure in 2011, after their daughter was diagnosed with a grade IV glioblastoma.
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“They have been a great support to us and our daughter,” says Win. “It’s very encouraging when we go to the walks and we see all of the survivors.”
Traditionally, brain tumor and brain cancer survivors wear a gray t-shirt during the 5K.
“It’s been nice to be able to get to know other survivors through Head for the Cure,” says Bob and Win’s daughter, Amy.
People of all ages are welcome to participate in the Head for the Cure 5K. There will be a 5K run, a competitive run, and a kids race. Head for the Cure is currently accepting donations towards a goal of $170,000.
“All of the money from our Head for the Cure fundraisers go to a local beneficiary, as well as a national beneficiary,” says Courtney Benisch, Regional Relationship Coordinator for Head for the Cure. “Our local beneficiary is the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern. The funds go to research and clinical trials. We are working towards the future and hopefully finding a cure to Brain Cancer one day. Our national beneficiary is Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative, which has 32 centers across the nation. They are the ones leading the way in these clinical trials.”
“Our first year doing these walks, we wrote UT Southwestern a check for 20 percent of what we raised,” adds Head for the Cure Committee Volunteer Dusti Unger. “That money funded an extra person in their research department.”
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The Head for the Cure 5K Run kicks off at 8:00 a.m. this Saturday, May 4 at Oak Point Park Amphitheatre. To register or to make a donation, click here.
