IMPORTANT EVENT UPDATE:

Due to uncontrollable circumstances, the time line for the event has been moved up. The new timeline is as follows:

Volunteer Arrival: 7 am

T-Shirt and Bib Pick-up 7:15 am

Starting Gun 8:30 am

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Take Steps to Save Lives at our 5K Run/Walk on October 27, 2019 in Chastain Park, Atlanta.

Don't miss our 2nd Annual Atlanta chip-timed 5K featuring a live DJ, pre-race warm-up & stretch, a professional announcer, one-of-a-kind ECAN event gear. We promise an amazing time with friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and other charitable individuals like yourself who are willing to take STEPS to SAVE LIVES!

To make sure everyone gets the most out of their 5K experience, ECAN has adapted the popular Couch to 5K training program. We'll be with you every step of the way as you prepare for the event. Whether it's your first 5K or you haven't run in a while - we have a plan and a community to support you as you get ready!

FUN FOR EVERYONE: All abilities | Chip Timed | Awards for Top Finishers | Awards for Top Fundraisers
Prizes for Reaching Fundraising Goals | Medals for All Finishers!

View the Course Map Here

Meet the Steps to Save Lives Atlanta 2019 Chair, Jessica Herron

Great music and a bottle of tums. That is what I remember most about my father. Norm Herron had natural musical talent – and heartburn that never let up. We kept Tums in every room to manage the acid reflux we thought was just a nuisance. My dad was a caring and fun father to my brother, Chris, and me. His 32-year marriage to my mom, Michelle, set the example for what a loving relationship should be.

Engineering was his work, but music was his life. He had a recording studio in our basement and performed monthly shows with his friends. In late 2010, when he was 46 years old, my dad started having trouble swallowing. By January 2011, he was diagnosed with Stage II Esophageal Cancer. Chemo and radiation started in February and in May, surgery to remove his esophagus. His newly configured digestive system was a challenge. He had his esophagus stretched so that he could continue to eat solid food. It meant he couldn’t sing anymore. My dad lost a lot of what he loved, but he didn’t complain much. He was glad to be alive.

Five years after diagnosis, his doctors told my dad that he was in remission. We celebrated our good fortune – but it was not to last. Just one month later, a tumor was discovered in his leg. The doctors removed his knee and replaced it with a steel rod. A PET scan found no evidence of disease. But within two months, more cancer was found in the lymph nodes of his groin. For much of the next year, he underwent chemotherapy. Later, when he was approved to receive immunotherapy with Keytruda, we had renewed hope. But the treatments didn't work. My dad was admitted to the hospital in early 2018 and passed away a few days later.

My father fought with every ounce of his energy the entire seven years he battled Esophageal Cancer. He did it for his family and friends - and he did it with unwavering strength. That strength is my motivation to chair this year’s Steps to Save Lives 5k in Atlanta. I want to raise awareness to keep other families from the tragedy mine has endured. And I want to support funding for research to prevent, detect, treat and cure this devastating disease. Other dads like mine deserve a fighting chance that they don’t have today - and I’m going to do whatever I can to make that possible!

Steps to Save Lives Atlanta 2019

Steps to Save Lives Atlanta 2019 (#SAVELIVESATLANTA5K)

Steps to Save Lives Atlanta 2019

Steps to Save Lives Atlanta 2019 (#SAVELIVESATLANTA5K)