Breast cancer fundraiser held at Smythe Lake

Daniel Island residents got active for a good cause on Saturday, participating in “Benefit Share Our Suzy,” a one-hour yoga style workout session at 8:30 a.m. in Smythe Park. The event was sponsored by breast cancer awareness outreach “Share Our Suzy,” a nonprofit dedicated to providing financial assistance to breast cancer patients.

 

The outreach operates solely to provide individuals relief from financial stress that is often put on from fighting breast cancer from its diagnosis until its remission. 

 

Funds raised work to assist individuals with daily needs such as wigs, prosthetics, child care, gas cards, utility bill assistance, medication assistance, and other benefits that insurance companies do not provide.

 

Share Our Suzy was created in honor of Suzy McGrane, a Columbia resident who passed away in 2004 in her battle with breast cancer. McGrane’s “second home” was in Charleston, so fundraising events have been held in both cities to help others fight the battle against the cancer throughout the organization’s history. 

 

Island residents were treated to a class hosted by Sarah Frick, a yoga instructor who lost her mother during her battle with breast cancer. Frick led the charge from “The Work Charleston,” a gym and physical fitness center located at 465 Meeting Street. 

 

Seventeen Daniel Island residents dedicated to fighting breast cancer met in person, while a few other residents who were not able to attend the Smythe Park event also participated through the video call application Zoom.

 

The Daniel Island rendition of the event was proposed by resident Blair Brown, a breast cancer survivor who fought the disease from October 2019 until February 2020. 

 

Brown is a regular participant in Daniel Island Fitness’s weekly “boot camp,” which includes a full-body strength and conditioning workouts consisting of pushups, burpees, squats, and more.

 

To propose the event, Brown simply approached close friend and class instructor Mary Patterson with the idea.

 

Patterson shifted the weekly boot camp class session from the regular full-body to the yoga-based workout to show support for her friend’s cause. 

 

“I could’ve said sorry, we have boot camp at this time. But you just adapt to create this flow of people together. It creates that ripple effect that raises awareness about a cause,” Patterson said.

 

After fully recovering from breast cancer, Brown said that she felt that she needed to act on behalf of others suffering from the disease. 

 

“It’s all about supporting local Charleston women,” she said.

 

Brown’s husband, David, helped her organize the event. “She’s my person, so I wanted to do what I could to support her,” he said. 

 

Participants’ donations were matched by Yarborough Applegate, a Charleston-based personal injury law firm. The event raised over $5,000 overall.