From Dunkin Donuts Stadium to Bushnell Park, the Capitol City is doing its part to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered to walk, reflect and raise money for those touched by the disease.
People of all ages were dressed in pink apparel at the 2022 Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk to support friends or loved ones impacted by breast cancer.
"This year, I take it to a whole new level...I have a best friend that I work with who was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and it's really hit us all hard," said Shonda Abshear, a supporter.
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Abshear is a nurse at the Bone and Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital. During the walk, she replaced her scrubs with a feathered boa and tutu and walked with a team of co-workers for her best friend.
Others showed up for themselves, having just beat breast cancer.
"I am cancer free...I'm cancer free. Because we caught it so early, I didn't have to have chemotherapy, but I did have thirty rounds of radiation," said breast cancer survivor Samariya Smith.
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Some were there continuing their fight.
"I've undergone a double radical mastectomy, and I just finished up my fourth surgery a few weeks ago, and I'll be in intensive chemotherapy for five years in total," said Nicole Harris, who is fighting breast cancer.
Smith and Harris were diagnosed in their late thirties, a couple years before women are generally recommended to start yearly screenings. Both said to make sure you don't wait if something feels wrong because early detection is key and what saved them.
In addition to the walk, people came to reflect. Cards there honored mothers, grandmothers, nieces, survivors and those touched by breast cancer.
It was a powerful display of messages and names to keep their memory alive.
"My niece. You know, I just thought of her. I said, 'wow, let me go over there," said Leticia Paul, of Hartford.
Participants could walk a mile or two around the park and each had a meaningful reason why.
"I like to say thriving and not surviving because I have to little kids here, so I've got to do a little bit more than survive," Harris added.
The goal of this year's More Than Pink Walk is to raise $300,000 by next month for breast cancer research and treatment. It's likely it will exceed that amount. The walk has already brought in more than $290,000.
