For three years, Katherine Butson stood at the finish line snapping photographs of her teammates completing the Run for the Cure in London.
This time, the 51-year-old crossed that finish line at Victoria Park herself for the first time.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, Butson had never been physically well enough to complete the event’s five-kilometre run or one-kilometre walk.
Sunday, feeling well enough to take the challenge herself, Butson entered the London leg of the annual national fundraising event sponsored by CIBC for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, joining nearly 2,200 participants in the run at Victoria Park.
“I got my own photo taken crossing the line for the first time,” Butson said Sunday after finishing the walk. “It’s a good feeling.”
Her 12-member Team Katherine Butson was the top fundraising group, collecting $18,283 for breast cancer research.
The downtown London park became a sea of pink — the event’s colour — on Sunday, with participants sporting everything from pink boas and wigs, to toques and tutus.
Even a few pets were sporting dyed pink hair for the event.
In all, 2,195 local participants raised $279,867, said the run’s co-director, Meghann Geddis.
Butson said she was especially proud of her 14-year-son, Curtis Galvan, who raised more than $5,000, making him the second-highest individual fundraiser.
Olivia Peicheff took the top spot, collecting $10,229.
“It just shows you that with a lot of love and support around you, you can meet the worst challenges of life and come out with something positive at the end of the day,” Butson said.
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