Anna Balch is a student at Denison University. In the summer of 2018, she will be traveling with a group of college-aged students on a 49-day, 4000+ mile run from San Francisco to Baltimore, raising money and awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

What is your connection to the cancer community?

Throughout the years I have had several friends and family members who have been affected by cancer. It all began in my senior year of high school, when one of my classmates passed away after battling leukemia. At the same time, I watched the parent of my softball teammate get diagnosed with breast cancer. Most recently, it took the life of my own beloved grandmother. I have seen it tear apart families and I have seen what it can do to the people it touches. Now, I want nothing more than to do my part in ending this horrible disease.

Why are you traveling 4,000 miles this summer with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults?

I want to run 4000 miles across the country with the 4K because it combines two of my passions: giving back and running. In the past few years I have been able to give to the cancer community through small scale events like 5Ks, half marathons and softball tournaments that all support the cause. I think the 4K for cancer is a great way for me to take that to the next level, on a much bigger scale. When the 4K begins, I will have spent the last year using my knowledge of languages to provide education to an underserved community in Brazil as a volunteer in a favela. Now, I feel as though I can use my passion for running as a way to serve another community that I have a more personal connection to. After watching so many loved ones be affected by this terrible disease, I want nothing more than to do my part in ending it.

2018 marks the 17th year of the 4K for Cancer sending young adults on journeys across the country in an effort to inspire hope and unite communities in the fight against cancer. The 4K for Cancer is a program of The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF). Interested in joining the fight? Apply to be a rider or runner a at www.4kforcancer.org! 

CHALLENGE:

Over 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer every year. Young adults (ages 15-39) face a variety of unique challenges with a cancer diagnosis including fertility preservation, social isolation, lack of insurance, delayed diagnosis, and more. 

SOLUTION:

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults changes lives by creating a community of support for young adults, and their loved ones, impacted by cancer. With your support, the Ulman Cancer Fund is able to provide free support services and resources for the young adult cancer community including:

Cancer to 5K - a 12-week training program designed to introduce or reintroduce cancer survivors to physical activity.

Patient Navigation - a free program (onsite at cancer centers and remotely through our office) that ensures no young adult ever faces cancer alone. We provide one-on-one support & resources to young adults and their families to help them manage the cancer experience and long-term cancer survival.

Scholarships - a financial assistance program to help young adults continue their education after being affected by cancer through their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one.

UCF House - This year UCF broke ground on a “home away from home” to provide free housing for young adult cancer patients, and their caregivers, in East Baltimore. 

Your donation will help make these programs and our mission possible!