'You never know ... if it's going to be you,' woman with breast cancer says after Winnipeg charity run

Over a thousand people dressed in pink and white walked, ran or rolled through Winnipeg's core on Sunday morning to show support for the battle against breast cancer.

Both of the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure's 1K and 5K runs kicked off at Blue Cross Park in downtown Winnipeg before 10 a.m. Sunday.

"As soon as I got diagnosed, I thought about this run," Debbie Carranza-Munoz, who found out she has breast cancer earlier this year, told Radio-Canada after the race.

She got emotional while saying the event was an opportunity to "have my friends and family beside me to support me while I go through this."

"You never know, in your lifetime, if it's going to be you or somebody else," she said.

Carranza-Munoz, who has worked as a nurse, says she has taken care of many cancer patients through her work, but being on the other side of the equation is a new experience.

She urges others to stay healthy.

"Don't ignore symptoms. Seek help. Take care of yourself and take care of others when they need you."

An estimated 30,500 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, and about 5,500 will die from it, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Shonna Newans, who works on Run for the Cure's committee, says the funds raised by the event go toward "all of the things that you need when you're going through a devastating diagnosis of cancer," including research and support services.

"This year, we raised around $400,000, and we've had about 1,500 participants just in Winnipeg alone," she said.

Newans, who crossed the finish line with her arms interlocked with friends and family, says the event is to support "those who are in the fight, those who have finished the fight and those who haven't started their fight yet."

"It's just an amazing show of how people rally around to lift that person up when they've fallen to their knees."