Joliet breast cancer, diabetes walk set for Saturday at Will County building

The third annual one-mile walk raising awareness about breast cancer and diabetes will take place on Saturday morning at the Will County Office building in Joliet.

Pam Fort, who runs New Day Employment Network in Joliet, is one of the organizers of the event along with Trista Graves Brown, who runs the nonprofit organization called Speak Up.

The walk has been scheduled between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Saturday at the Will County Office building, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet. Attendees are encouraged to wear pink or blue.

Fort said the event is meant to recognize the impact of diabetes and breast cancer on people’s lives, including how it disproportionately impacts the lives of Black people.

“Our goal is trying to educate the masses in our community about the importance of mammograms for women and for men, [and] the importance of glucose testing for sugar levels,” Fort said.

“A lot of people go through fighting diabetes and fighting breast cancer in silence. We want to let them know there is a community of people out here and they care,” Fort said.

October is breast cancer awareness month and November is diabetes awareness month.

“We figure that we would just combine them together and have a walk,” Fort said.

Fort said attendees will have the opportunity to honor those who lost their lives to breast cancer and diabetes.

She said there will be a balloon release and people will have a conversation about the issue of breast cancer and diabetes. People will learn how to look for early signs of the diseases to better increase their chances of survival, she said.

But it’s not just about survival. Fort said she wants to encourage people to “thrive in living.”

“Not just in surviving but living your best life,” Fort said.