For the last 15 years, residents of the Hoover community and surrounding areas have been coming together every September to run, raise money for gynecological cancer research and support, and to remember loved ones at the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation’s (LCBF) signature fundraising event—the Head Over Teal 5K/10K race. What began as a race with approximately 200 runners in 2010 is expected to have almost 800 participants this year! It will include an entire day of fun for runners and supporters—with live music, complimentary breakfast and lunch options, community booths, as well as numerous fun activities for the kids, including face and pumpkin painting, a crazy hair station and a photo booth.
The LCBF’s founder, Jim Crandall, began the foundation when his daughter Laura passed away from ovarian cancer (OC) at the tender age of 25. “She had just graduated from Auburn and was working there and planning her wedding when she was diagnosed in the fall of 2008. We learned during her journey that a screening test for OC did not exist (and still does not),” says Crandall, “So our initial mission was to fund research to promote the development of a screening test.”
In addition to the Head Over Teal race, the LCBF launches its 13th annual A State of Teal Awareness Campaign throughout the month of September. The campaign aims to “shine a light on gynecologic cancer symptoms, risks and prevention. Awareness efforts will include city, county and state proclamations, digital and radio outreach, and community events like Head Over Teal.” According to Irene Goddard, development director for the LCBF, “There is no early detection or screening test for 4 out of 5 GYN cancers and Alabama continually ranks among the highest in cervical cancer deaths. To raise awareness, we need to understand the signs and symptoms of these cancers, know how to prevent them, and make sure our community is being properly screened. “I joined the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation at the end 2019. My mother is a uterine cancer survivor,” says Goddard. “We have a small, but mighty staff and benefit from our many wonderful volunteers who help to make our events like Head Over Teal and A State of Teal happen.”
Another key component of the LCBF is aiding cancer patients and their families during treatments. “We want people to know we are an organization whose focus is on supporting women and their families during very difficult times,” says Crandall, “and we want to help women seek care as soon as any of these symptoms occur.”
“LCBF assists patients as they navigate their diagnosis and survivorship by providing crucial support systems lifting them up and empowering them to adjust to and cope with cancer-related fear, anxiety and depression. This is accomplished through our CanSurvive survivor support group and Woman-to-Woman one-on-one survivor mentoring program,” Goddard adds. “In addition, every newly diagnosed GYN cancer patient receives a comfort care bag through their clinic. LCBF can also provide direct financial assistance to those who need extra support with transportation costs and basic needs. Cancer can take a devastating financial toll on patients, and we do not want women to have to choose between their care and paying bills.”