Sisters Angie Rollyson and Autumn Parrish are coming out of their starting blocks in full force.
The women — the honorary survivors for this year’s Plant City Relay for Life — are organizing the first Sole Sisters 5K as a benefit for the annual American Cancer Society event.
The 5K will take place at 8 a.m. March 23, at the Walden Lake Polo Field. The event also will feature a Stroller Walk, which begins at 8:15 a.m. Registration is $25 and includes a T-shirt.
All kids who cross the finish line will receive a medal. If the kids are dressed like runners, they also will receive a special prize.
“We wanted to do a really good fundraiser for this year, so I thought it’d be fun to put together a 5K,” Rollyson said.
In 2012, Rollyson and Parrish were diagnosed with cancer just months apart.
Last April, Parrish awoke with swollen lumps in her neck. She was diagnosed days later with lymphoma. The day after Parrish discovered her swollen nymph nodes, her grandmother, Martha Hodge, was hospitalized with ovarian cancer. Then, in August, Rollyson discovered she had thyroid cancer.
Still, the family remains resilient. They have formed the Sole Sisters Relay for Life team to fight for those still battling cancer.
“Hopefully, we’ll have a really good turnout,” Rollyson said. “We have so far. We’re really looking forward to it and hoping to do it as our fundraiser for our team year after year.”
All of the proceeds from the Sole Sister 5K will benefit the American Cancer Society. The goal for this year’s Relay for Life event is to raise $274,000. That was the goal last year, but inclement weather caused the relay to stop around midnight, just halfway through the event. Still, Plant City residents managed to raise $263,000 for cancer research, the third largest amount in Florida last year.
“It should be a really fun event,” Rollyson said. “We’re hoping to really raise a lot of money to donate to the American Cancer Society.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
SOLE SISTERS 5K
WHEN: 8 a.m. March 23; Stroller Roll starts at 8:15 a.m.
WHERE: Walden Lake Polo Field
COST: $25, includes T-shirt
REGISTRATION: solesisters5k.vpweb.com
CONTACT: solesisters5k@yahoo.com. Include your T-shirt size and questions
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/SoleSisters.PC
RELAY FOR LIFE
WHEN: 6 p.m. April 19
WHERE: Plant City High School, 1 Raider Place
THEME: Curing Cancer is Sweet
CONTACT: Joanie, 713-8876
