Bronwyn Perez is an engineer, a runner, and a fighter.

She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at age 28. Five years later, she’s faced a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation.

It’s been a brutal battle, but today, she’s healthy and in the best shape of her life.

“I actually picked up running my birthday after I finished treatment, so I had just turned 29,” Perez said. “I said, ‘cancer was awful, it did terrible things to my body, but I made it through.’ So I decided to start treating my body right and started running regularly.”

Now, Bronwyn is using her passion for running to give back. She’s partnering with To Life, a local nonprofit that provides resources to breast cancer survivors and their families, to host the organization’s inaugural “Pink Mile Challenge.”

“I think it’s more important now to try and get as much money as we can just to keep these small charities alive,” Perez said. “To Life is a local charity based in Delmar. They support people in the Capital Region exclusively, and it’s a really nice system to have in place. And if they don’t get enough money this year, they might not be around next year.”

Perez says her diagnosis was a huge wake-up call. She’s urging women of all ages to prioritize our health this breast cancer awareness month, and give back if you can.

Visit ToLife.org to sign up for the Pink Mile Challenge or to donate.

There are 3K and 5K options, and the race is virtual. You can run or walk it anywhere, any time between October 9-11.