Among the participants at Sunday's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will be a breast cancer survivor who had to cancel last year because she needed more surgery.
This year, she's be walking with her best friend and bringing along their own cheering squads - literally.
Cheerleading coaches Nancy Ellen Elster and Andrea Snyder are getting in some practice time for Sunday's Race for the Cure, being cheered on by their combined squads from Ballard and Juanita high schools.
A lot has happened to these best friends over the last year. Ballard High School cheerleader Nicole Bowns remembers.
"Last year Nancy was going through surgery so it's so much better this year since she'll actually be here with us and we can cheer for her," said Bowns.
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Last year, Nancy Ellen Elster was ready to go, even had her race number, which turned out to be a good omen.
"It was 2009. And this year my number is 141 like 'all for one,'" Elster said.
Last July, Juanita High School cheer coach Andrea Snyder learned she had breast cancer.
"It was a challenge. Watching Nancy Ellen go through it, though, she was my hero the whole time and now she became my Rock of Gibraltar afterwards. I couldn't have done this without her," said Snyder.
Ballard cheerleaders second that.
"She's so caring, she's so loving, she's so dedicated and she's someone we can all look up to and want to be like someday," said Bowns. "She's a great coach."
Nancy Ellen and Andrea see it as their responsibility as breast cancer survivors.
"We mentor girls and the percentages are in the favor of some of them in their lifetime experiencing it," said Elster. "So I want them to look back and see survivors and to see how you can hold your head up and be proactive and be assertive and watch out for yourself and live a good life."
And come back to cross the finish line.
Cheerleaders will be posted along the race route this year. So many volunteered that organizers ran out of t-shirts. There's still time to sign up for the race.
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