Approximately 2,000 walkers are expected at Ripken Stadium May 13
Five years ago when Dr. Richard P. Streett, Jr. served as chairman of the largest fundraising campaign in the history of Harford County–Hope and Healing Close to Home, the Campaign for the Patricia D. and M. Scot Kaufman Cancer Center at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health–cancer had not touched Dr. Streett or his family.
Flash forward four years and the very building and supportive care services that Dr. Streett worked so hard to help bring to fruition was now one that he would use for his own cancer diagnosis and battle.
Dr. Streett was diagnosed with kidney cancer in April 2016. He was a patient of University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, the Kaufman Cancer Center and University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
His coordinated care was second-to-none. Dr. Streett was able to receive consultations locally at UM Upper Chesapeake Health and the Kaufman Cancer Center as well as be treated by specialists at the downtown Baltimore medical campus. Today, Dr. Streett is cancer-free, and he is a grateful patient of the University of Maryland Medical System.
In addition, that gratitude is the reason he is serving as the honorary chairman for the Fourth Annual Amanda Hichkad CCA Celebration Walk on Saturday, May 13, at 8 a.m. at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen.
More than 2,000 participants will come together to walk and raise funds in support of Cancer LifeNet, a free-of-charge nurse navigation and supportive care program offered to cancer patients and their loved ones in Harford and Cecil counties, regardless of where they receive their cancer treatment.
Since the walk’s inception in 2014, nearly $500,000 has been raised by friends and neighbors helping friends and neighbors. This year the goal is to raise $150,000 for Cancer LifeNet, which is funded solely by philanthropic support.
Cancer LifeNet services include nurse navigators, volunteer navigators, oncology social workers, support groups and specialized classes including tai chi, yoga, healthy cooking and group programs for children who have a parent or loved one with cancer. Last year, Cancer LifeNet provided these free-of-charge services to approximately 1,500 cancer patients and family members.
“The care I received both locally at UM Upper Chesapeake Health and the Kaufman Cancer Center, along with treatment at UM Medical Center in Baltimore, was excellent and perfectly coordinated,” Dr. Streett said. “When we were raising funds five years ago and then building the cancer center, I knew it would be a state-of-the art facility, providing excellent care. However, having experienced it as a patient, I know it is all that and more. I am honored to be involved with this year’s Fourth Annual Amanda Hichkad CCA Celebration Walk because I know firsthand how the funds raised will be used to help cancer patients and their families in our community.”
The walk is organized by The Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation and its Chesapeake Cancer Alliance volunteers. It is named after the late Amanda Hichkad, a Bel Air wife, mother of three boys and volunteer extraordinaire. This annual event honors and memorializes all cancer patients and their loved ones while celebrating the power of community and raising funds to support Cancer LifeNet.
Presented by Klein’s ShopRite and Ripken Baseball, the walk takes place on the field at Ripken Stadium, along the warning track, with the goal of completing four laps around it—The Ripken Mile.
The cost to register is $25 per person; children 12 and under are free. Commemorative t-shirts will be awarded to those who fundraise $50 or more. Registration takes place online at uchfoundation.org and the morning of the walk. Donations may also be made online at uchfoundation.org. Day-of registration opens at 7:30 a.m., with the ceremonial program and walk beginning at 8 a.m.
For more information about the Fourth Annual Amanda Hichkad CCA Celebration Walk, visit uchfoundation.org, email [email protected] or call 443-643-3460. For more information about Cancer LifeNet, visit umuch.org/cancer or call 866-393-4355.
