Sentiments of Hope Abound at Annual Walk for Beauty

Members of the Three Village community and supporters of breast cancer awareness and research gathered together Sunday morning at the Stony Brook Village Center for the annual Walk for Beauty.

There were those like Jenna and Noah Mond, elementary school students who came to support their Aunt Toba, who has had 17 surgeries over the last two years in her battle with breast cancer. Lauri Budnick, Toba's sister-in-law, walked with the children.

“It’s a good cause and it’s close to home, so I think it’s good to give for research and teach them that it’s good to get up early and make a sacrifice for other people and find a cure for breast cancer so other people don’t have to go through what my sister-in-law is going through,” Budnick said.

Others, like Shannon Russell, were there to support the cause after losing a loved one. Russell lost her mother, Ruth Coleman, to breast cancer 10 years ago. “I like to come out and make sure it’s a good time to remember her and my friends and it’s great,” Russell said. “Hopefully it never has to happen anymore to anyone else.”

The Village Center around the Stony Brook post office was a sea of pink as vendors lined the sidewalks serving refreshments and representatives from WALK 97.5 radio station played music from a booth. The walk, which has been held annually since 1994, focused exclusively on supporting breast cancer research until 2001. In 2002 it expanded to include prostate cancer as well, but this year the event's focus was back solely on breast cancer.

Deena Simoes said she hopes events like this would help to continue to raise awareness to “get funds for research, so that they look hard and never give up looking for ways to help the ladies – and gentlemen – through this.”

There was also a group of local politicians who came in support of former Suffolk County Legis. , who lost her battle with breast cancer this past August.

“Norah gave a great deal to our community and was a great leader and supporter of women’s issues,” said Suffolk County Legis. Vivian Viloria-Fisher, Bredes' successor in the Fifth Legislative District.

Town of Brookhaven Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld was also a member of the group walking to honor Bredes.

“Nora was an activist not only on women’s issues but on environmental issues,” he said. “...She fought to find a cure for not only cancers but the potential connection between breast cancer and pesticides. She did a tremendous amount of work to preserve our quality of life here in the Three Village area and her loss is deeply felt by all of us.”