CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Thousands of people started their Mother's Day with the Race for the Cure at Chicago's lakefront.
Anthony Rizzo was the honorary chair for the 22nd annual race that's the biggest fundraiser for the local Susan G Komen chapter.
The Cubs first baseman is a cancer survivor. He went through chemo for lymphoma at the same time his grandmother was getting treatment for breast cancer.
Rizzo on Sunday told the crowd gathered at Montrose Harbor how she was always upbeat and didn't complain while she was losing her fight.
Executive Director of Komen Chicago Tiosha Bailey said 1,000 women in the Chicago area die from breast cancer each year. African-American women are 40 percent more likely to die than white women.
Yana Nirshberg of Deerfield credits early screening with saving her life.
Her grandmother and aunt both had breast cancer, and she was diagnosed with triple negative days before she turned 36.
Organizers expected 2,000 survivors and their supporters to come out for the chilly event.