Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park will host a walk to end bladder cancer on May 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Funds raised from the walk will go towards the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN), who offers educational and support programs for patients and their families, and bladder cancer research.

BCAN has been organizing walks to end bladder cancer for over a decade, where thousands of walkers in 47 states have raised more than $5 million to fund BCAN’s work.

The goal of the End Bladder Cancer Walk is to increase awareness about bladder cancer in the United States, build a community of individuals impacted by or interested in bladder cancer, and raise funds to support BCAN’s work towards serving bladder cancer patients.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year in the United States about 56,000 men and 17,500 women get bladder cancer, and about 12,000 men and 4,700 women die from the disease.

The most common symptoms of bladder cancer include blood in the urine, frequent urination, pain while urinating, and back and pelvic pain. The CDC mentions how smoking is the greatest risk factor for bladder cancer, in addition to having a family history, specific gene mutations, and chronic urinary tract infections, and too much exposure to certain workplace chemicals used in processing paint, dye, metal, and petroleum products.

Click here to sign-up for the End Bladder Cancer Walk at Lake Sammamish State Park.