Health & Fitness

A sea of pink: See hundreds walking in Hialeah to support those battling breast cancer

Pink shirts. Pink glasses. Bright, neon pink hair. And pink flamingos.

Everywhere you looked, there was a sea of pink at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah Saturday, where hundreds gathered to show their support for breast cancer patients and help raise funds to improve research and access to care.

The Susan G. Komen’s “More Than Pink Walk” gave people the opportunity to support those battling breast cancer and celebrate the ones who were now cancer free. It was also a time to remember and honor those who died. About 42,000 women and 500 men in the U.S. die from breast cancer each year.

“To my mommy, the strongest person I’ve ever met. Today we walk for you,” read one of the notes written at the event.

From left to right: Joseph Nerey, Will Fleites, Camila Fleites, 6, and Isabella Fleites, 20, participate in the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk at Amelia Earhart Park on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla. The event aims to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.
From left to right: Joseph Nerey, Will Fleites, Camila Fleites, 6, and Isabella Fleites, 20, participate in the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk at Amelia Earhart Park on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla. The event aims to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States, excluding skin cancers. This year, Susan G. Komen, the breast cancer nonprofit, said the money raised from the walk will be used to help support its health equity initiatives. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black women also die from the disease at a higher rate than white woman.

Breast cancer survivors hold flowers and cheer as they attend the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk at Amelia Earhart Park on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla. The event aims to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.
Breast cancer survivors hold flowers and cheer as they attend the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk at Amelia Earhart Park on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla. The event aims to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com

“We look forward to creating a community for anyone impacted by breast cancer ... Funds raised from the MORE THAN PINK Walk will further Komen’s ability to meet the needs of patients and advance our health equity revolution to break down barriers to quality, timely care that create poor breast health outcomes,” said Sean Gross, the nonprofit’s state executive director, in a statement.

This year’s event raised more than $532,000, surpassing its $500,000 goal, according to the breast cancer nonprofit’s website.

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Susan G. Komen has also partnered with select stores in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale-area for October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to help raise funds. Participating stores will donate a portion of their proceeds through Oct. 31 to the nonprofit. The money will be used to help support the nonprofit’s mission to end breast cancer. To find a participating business, visit https://komenflorida.org/downtowns-go-pink/

See photos of the walk below:

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This story was originally published October 8, 2022 at 4:58 PM.

Michelle Marchante
Miami Herald
Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.  Support my work with a digital subscription
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