Rhonda Wallace a Dedicated Participant in Paper Doll Parade
When Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic’s Paper Doll Parade & Breast Cancer Awareness 5K Health Walk is in full swing on Sept. 27, Rhonda Wallace will be there.
Wallace is a breast cancer survivor and a dedicated supporter of the 5K and Health Walk, which is organized by Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation and will take place at Ridge Ferry Park.
“I do the walk every year and my family usually goes with me. I think my grandchildren will be there, too, so hopefully it will be a fun day,” said Wallace.
Each year participants gather to share the importance of breast health and annual mammograms. In fact, Wallace discovered she had breast cancer in 2021 when she went for her yearly mammogram at The Breast Center at Atrium Health Floyd.
Wallace encourages other women to do the same.
“I definitely encourage everybody to get one, because they could be just like me. I had no symptoms, didn’t feel anything. I thought there was nothing abnormal until that day,” Wallace said.
She said the care she received at The Breast Center was extraordinary, setting a trend as she moved through her cancer journey.
“Now I get to see Dr. Paul Brock twice a year and have a mammogram and an MRI every year. It’s a lot for people to digest. I will tell you, the journey is not easy, but I never one time felt like I was alone,” said Wallace, who serves on the Hospital Authority of Floyd County and Floyd Healthcare Management, Inc. boards.
“He’ll always be my hero,” Wallace said of Brock, a general surgeon with Harbin Clinic and medical director of The Breast Center. “From the minute I called, he assured me that I was going to be just fine and that I was strong and healthy. He was really great at explaining the process.”
Wallace said she is grateful for The Breast Center and the expertise it brings in treating cancer patients.
“We are so fortunate and so blessed to have that here in Rome,” Wallace said. “I thank the Lord forever that someone had that vision.”
The Paper Doll Parade & Breast Cancer Awareness 5K – a Peachtree Road Race qualifier – will start at approximately 9 a.m. with the 2-mile Paper Doll Parade health walk beginning at 9:15 a.m.
Atrium Health Floyd’s iconic dolls – symbols of breast health, breast education and the belief that knowledge is power – will again be on display in fashionable running apparel around the park.
Proceeds from every entry will go towards Floyd Healthcare Foundation’s scholarship fund to financially assist women who can’t afford a mammogram. You can also donate online at https://www.floyd.org/foundation/Pages/Make-a-Donation.aspx and select the Breast Center as the Giving Program.
A costume contest will be held at 8:45 a.m., and breast cancer survivors will be recognized after the walk and race are over.
Registration, which closes Sept. 21, will cost $31 for the run and $26 for the walk. Late registration will be in-person only and is $41 for both the walk and the run.