The 12th Annual Amanda Hichkad CCA Celebration Walk, which raises funds for Cancer LifeNet, takes place Saturday, May 10, at 8 a.m. at The John Carroll School, 703 East Churchville Road in Bel Air. The Presenting Sponsor is Klein's ShopRite of Maryland.  
 
Organized by UM Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation and its Chesapeake Cancer Alliance volunteers, the walk is held to celebrate, honor and remember those who have received a cancer diagnosis and recognize care providers. This year's goal is to raise $125,000 to support Cancer LifeNet, located at the Kaufman Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air.
 
UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UM UCMC) is a University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (UM UCH) hospital; UM UCH is a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System.
 
Cancer LifeNet’s annual operating budget of $1 million is funded solely through philanthropic support and is designed to help patients and their loved ones find the resources needed to balance work, family and cancer treatment. These free-of-charge, supportive care programs are offered to residents of Harford and Cecil counties, regardless of where they receive their cancer treatment. Since the walk’s founding in 2014, more than $1.4 million has been raised for Cancer LifeNet.
 
The Amanda Hichkad CCA Celebration Walk is a one mile walk around the John Carroll turf field, and those who may not be up to walking are welcome to attend to witness and experience the feeling of community that participants remark on every year. The walk brings together many friends and neighbors who walk in teams or as individuals to support their friends and neighbors utilizing Cancer LifeNet.
 
Community members are invited to walk, donate and/or sponsor. Registration for adults is $25, and ages 12 and younger are free of charge. Participants who register and fundraise $50 or more will receive a commemorative giveaway item. To sign up and learn more, visit http://givetoday.uchfoundation.org/AHCCW2025. For questions, call the UM Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation at 443-643-3460 or email uchfoundation@umm.edu. 
 
Havre de Grace Resident Experiences Benefits of Cancer LifeNet
 
Cancer LifeNet played a pivotal role in the recovery of Havre de Grace resident Karen Streett, a wife, mother of three and nurse, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. A routine mammogram in January 2024 detected a concerning spot. A second-view mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy were conducted, and Streett was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. Streett underwent several surgeries (including a double mastectomy) at UM UCMC and chemotherapy at the Kaufman Cancer Center.
 
During her treatment, Streett and her family utilized Cancer LifeNet. “The services that Cancer LifeNet provides are indescribable. They became, and still, are a lifeline for our family,” Streett said.
 
Among the programs Streett participated in were the beauty class and acupuncture. One program in particular, CLIMB, was very helpful for her 7-year-old daughter, Summer. CLIMB stands for Children’s Lives Include Moments of Bravery and is designed for children whose parents are affected by cancer. Summer participated in the program biweekly for several weeks during her mother’s cancer journey. 
 
“It was such a great resource for her to be around kids who were going through something similar,” Streett said. “When we found out that I was going to be starting chemo and that I would lose my hair, she had coping techniques that she learned in the program to help her navigate this time.”
 
Streett was declared cancer-free earlier this year. “Chemo is hard. And it’s not just hard on the patient but for everyone in that person’s life,” Streett said. “You ring that bell, and you feel like a hero. You have made it through something that has pushed your body to a degree you never thought was possible. I cried, I smiled, I laughed -- so many emotions in one moment.”
 
To show her appreciation for Cancer LifeNet, Streett is organizing a team for this year’s event.
 
“We decided on the name Streetts of Pink using our last name and the signature color of breast cancer to spread awareness through the ‘streetts’ of Harford County. Our goal is to raise $20,000. We would love to have 100-plus walkers,” Streett said. In addition, her sister and a friend have also organized teams for this year’s walk.
 
Streett was part of a walk team in 2017 that honored the recovery of her father-in-law, Richard P. Streett, Jr., VMD, who had been diagnosed with kidney cancer that year. Dr. Streett chaired the campaign that established the Kaufman Cancer Center in fall 2013.
 
“We attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Kaufman Cancer Center. Never in a million years did I think I would be using it for the purposes that I did last year,” Streett said. “I was in the Streett Conference Room for the CLIMB program for Summer, for the beauty class they offer for chemo patients and for my chemo education class. It was all so incredibly surreal.”
 
“Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ is life changing,” Streett said. “Through this journey I have been very open with my story because if I can help even just one person who has to endure this unwanted journey, then I feel I have been given purpose.”
 
Over the past year, nearly 2,400 people have benefited from the various programs and services provided by Cancer LifeNet. Since its founding 19 years ago, more than 22,000 patients and their loved ones have used the more than 300 free-of-charge services provided by Cancer LifeNet.