Lung Cancer Walk

Before she succumbed to small cell cancer, one of Hicksville resident Diane Emdin Sach’s last wishes was to raise money to find a cure for small cell cancer and lung cancer. To honor her wish, friends and family worked with the American Lung Association to launch the Diane Emdin Sachs Lung Cancer Walk at Jones Beach State Park. The event will take place on Sunday, October 9th, 2005 (rain or shine). Registration begins at 9 a.m. at Parking Field 5 (Zach’s Bay), and the four-mile walk itself starts at 10 a.m.

“Diane was the kind of person who radiated sheer beauty from the inside out… the person everyone wanted as their friend,” said her bother, Jeff Emdin. “When she was first diagnosed with small cell cancer at age 37, she was pregnant with her second child. It seemed so unfair…she had never smoked and the doctors could offer no explanation why she got this form of cancer. All they could say was that she only had seven months to live. But Diane was just so determined to watch her children grow up, she hung in there for 18 months. She fought for her life with such grace and dignity that she became a real hero to those whose lives she touched. We, her friends and family, are determined that her legacy will live on through this memorial walk.”

The American Lung Association established a grant of $150,000 that was a direct result of last years walk. Money was also raised for lung cancer research. The Walk is designed to be non-strenuous and a fun time for families, with raffles and other surprises.