PO Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360

For Release:

Cathleen D. Bennett
Commissioner

For Further Information Contact:
Office of Communications
(609) 984-7160

NJ Health Commissioner Will Join Breast Cancer Survivor to Highlight Breast Cancer Awareness

To help raise awareness for breast cancer research, on Friday, August 18, NJ Health Commissioner Cathleen D. Bennett will join breast cancer survivor Carolyn Choate, as she stops in Trenton, during her 300-mile kayaking journey from New York to Maryland.

As a part of the River of Life fundraising initiative, Carolyn Choate of New Hampshire, together with her daughter Sydney Turnbull, will stop at the Trenton Boat Ramp at 3 pm, where she will meet with the Commissioner to discuss breast cancer research and the New Jersey State Cancer Registry (NJSCR), a critical tool in researching and tracking cancer trends. 

Choate has embarked on this journey from Port Jervis, New York to Baltimore, Maryland to pay tribute to cancer survivors, as well as honor Dr. Angela Brodie, an internationally renowned breast cancer researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who was a pioneer in the discovery and development of aromatase inhibitors, which are now considered among the most important contributions toward treating estrogen driven breast cancer, the most common form of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. 

The River of Life kayaking event is the latest fundraising effort for Chaote. Her goal is to raise $500,000 to complete a $2.5 million Distinguished Professorship in honor of Dr. Brodie, and help support breast cancer research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Choate and her daughter began their trip on Aug. 10, making stops in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, before they reach their destination in Maryland. During the campaign, she is making stops to highlight what communities large and small are contributing to the fight against cancer.

The New Jersey State Cancer Registry is a population-based registry, mandated by state law, that collects data on all cancer cases diagnosed and/or treated in New Jersey since 1978. It is a critical tool in researching and tracking cancer trends.  The New Jersey State Cancer Registry recently received top ratings from the National Program of Cancer Registries, the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute.

Breast Cancer survival rates have been increasing in the state and nation.  However, every year about 7,200 are diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 1,300 women die of the disease.

WHO

NJ Health Commissioner Cathleen D. Bennett

Carolyn Choate, Breast Cancer Survivor

WHEN

August 18, 2017 at 3 p.m.

WHERE

Trenton Public Boat Ramp

1601 Lamberton Road, Trenton, NJ

For more information about the River of Life campaign, visit: For more information about the River of Life campaign, visit medschool.umaryland.edu/RiverOfLife.

To learn more about the New Jersey State Cancer Registry, visit http://www.state.nj.us/health/ces/reporting-entities/njscr/

 Follow the New Jersey Department of Health on Twitter @njdeptofhealth, Facebook /njdeptofhealth, Instagram @njdeptofhealth and Snapchat @njdoh.

For more information, visit our homepage at nj.gov/health.

Last Reviewed: 8/17/2017