By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

MARCH - Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month - is right around the corner and so is the third edition of the ‘Get Your Rear in Gear’ 5k Fun/Run Walk event set for March 16 at Goodman’s Bay Park.

The event will carry out the vision and legacy of the late Andrea Darville who passed away after a battle with the disease in 2022. The proceeds from the awareness event will be donated to the Andrea Darville’s Blue Hope Grant fund which assists persons who are in an ongoing battle with colon or rectal cancer.

Emily Darville, local event director for GYRIG, feels it is her duty to continue to help others for a worthy cause that was not only near and dear to her late sister but also to her.

“For me this is my life’s work right now because this is the last project that Andrea was working on and I know how much it meant to her and she was literally pouring her everything into getting GYRIG Bahamas to happen.

“She had done all the registration processes and got the Colon Cancer Coalition registered as a non-profit organisation here so I didn’t want her work to go in vain. It is amazing how even though she was battling and struggling with colon cancer, she thought not only about herself but other persons and wanted to find a way to assist other people who are battling the similar disease that she had,” Darville said.

GYRIG was initially started in 2022 and experienced an increase in participation and support last year with 130 participants.

For the third edition, Darville is hoping to have up to 200 participants on board for March 16.

“The first year Andrea passed so I had literally just a few weeks to organise, catch my bearings and get the race going. Our first year we really didn’t have the numbers that we wanted with a little under 100 persons participating. Last year, I saw there was growth so it is promising.

“We had about 130 persons and this year we’re off to a good start. It is always a bit slower earlier in the registration process but during the final week everyone starts to register up until the morning of the race.

“I am hopeful and would like to see 200 participants,” the event organiser said.

The cost for registration is $25 for adults and $12 for children 17 and under. As previously mentioned, proceeds will go to the Andrea Darville Blue Hope Grant at the Cancer Society which has gotten up to $30,000 in donations over the years to assist those affected by colon cancer.

Darville gave more insight on lending a helping hand to members of the community.

“You can apply for a $1,000 grant which assists persons who are battling with colon or rectal cancer with treatment or retesting which is very expensive. I am just so proud of this initiative because everyday I get to help someone it makes me feel great that I am continuing the work that Andrea did and it is keeping her name and legacy alive,” she said.

In efforts to raise more awareness about colon cancer in The Bahamas, gastroenterologist Dr Eugene Marcus Cooper will be in attendance at GYRIG to provide more information on the disease, informational pamphlets will be distributed and stations will be set up to assist in this regard. “We have to get the conversation started. Let’s start talking about it more so people can pay more attention and not just brush things off when they experience changes in their body. Dr Marcus Cooper is partnering with me and he feels like if we can talk more about it, we can kind of break that stigma and people would be a bit more comfortable to share what is going on with them and know where to go to seek the help that they need,” she said.

The 5k fun run/walk starts at 6:30am.

Persons interested in registering can complete the process via https://donate. coloncancercoalition.org/ bahamas