Student walks to raise money to fight breast cancer

On the third weekend in October, Nicole Saglimbene will walk 39.3 miles in two days, and she’ll do it knowing she has raised over $2,300 to battle breast cancer, a cause that is near to her heart.

A 7th-semester psychology major, Saglimbene decided she wanted to complete the walk her mother did over six years ago when she was still battling breast cancer. Though she lost her mother to the fight against breast cancer, Saglimbene’s desire to battle the disease has never waned. Next month, she will walk with thousands of other fundraisers, who have each raised at least $1,800, through the Big Apple in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

“When my mom was sick, the organization was great.” Saglimbene said. “They would stay in touch and send her things when she was in the hospital. They really care about giving quality care, and you know the money is going to the right place.”
Saglimbene has already raised $2,325 for the event and hopes to raise over $2,500. Though she admits it was daunting in the beginning to know she had to raise at least $1,800 in order to participate, she realized how much people wanted to help her after she started a Facebook group and raised over $700 in four days.

“After my mom passed, my classmates bought me a Tiffany’s necklace with a heart.” Saglimbene said. “I don’t think they realized just how much it meant to me. When people donate, it feels like that.”
This year is the 10th annual Avon Walk, and participants have raised a total of over $440 million through the years, making it the Avon Foundation’s largest fundraiser. The money is managed by the Avon Foundation for Women, a public charity that channels funds to programs associated with the cause.

Carol Kruzig, the president of the Avon Foundation for Women, said in a press release, “Thanks to thousands of people like Nicole Saglimbene, we are able to save lives by providing significant funds for vital breast cancer research as well as access to care, screening, support service and education.”
Saglimbene has been training the past several months to walk a full marathon on October 20th, winding through downtown Manhattan, the Upper West and East Sides, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown and across the Brooklyn Bridge. On the night of Oct. 20, Saglimbene has chosen to stay in a tent on Randall’s Island with fellow walkers before finishing the weekend with a half-marathon on Oct. 21.

Saglimbene will be selling T-shirts through the Student Alumni Association in the Union later this month as well as having a bar night at Huskies on Oct. 8. She will also continue to take donations on her Facebook group page.