Thousands take part in 13th annual Gary Papa Run
EAKINS OVAL (WPVI) -- Thousands of runners and walkers came out this Father's Day for the 13th annual Gary Papa Run - to raise awareness and funding in the fight against prostate cancer.
70-year-old Jack Irwin is proud to be a cancer survivor. He ran the Gary Papa 5K, encouraging men to be proactive when it comes to their health.
"I went in for a checkup on a kidney stone, we started doing some PSA tests, and I wound up with a little cancer in my prostate. I went through radiation and it was a success," said Irwin.
According to The Foundation for Breast and Prostate Health, one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
One of those men was Joel Mattleman.
"I'm still kind of in a fog a little bit but this is what he would have wanted," said Kate Mattleman, his wife.
Mattleman lost his battle with prostate cancer just two weeks ago. His wife Kate walked in his memory with her team called, 'The Shore Cure.'
"My mother named my husband's boat 'The Shore Cure' 16 years ago when he was diagnosed - he wanted to buy himself a boat. And she gave him that name and it's been perfect," said Kate.
6abc sports director Gary Papa lost his battle with prostate cancer just before Father's Day in 2009. His wife Kathy proudly continues the mission Gary started.
"It's wonderful. Every year it gets more and more inspiring. Our mission, of course, is to get the word out for every man to get tested. And every year it becomes more and more evident that we're being successful," said Kathy Papa.
Thanks to generous donors and sponsors, we've exceeded our fundraising goal of $250,000.
But the fundraising efforts are not over. You can still donate at www.garypaparun.com.
