ESCANABA — The 15th Annual Walk in the Park for Brain Tumor Research will be held Saturday, July 13 at 10 a.m. at Ludington Park in Escanaba. Sign-up is available online, and the deadline for early sign-up discounts and t-shirt orders is June 27, or postmarked by June 25 for mail-in registration. Walk-up registration is also available from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. before the walk.

The walk provides funding for brain tumor research, and raises awareness of the prevalence of brain tumors and the need for a cure. It provides a unique opportunity for everyone affected by brain tumors — patients, families, friends — to share stories of loss, challenge, and hope. All proceeds benefit the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center (UMBTC) through the Superior Health Foundation. This walk has contributed over $80,000 to research since it started.

A recent research direction has been proving successful in treating newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Individual vaccines providing tumor antigens personalized to the patient have been used successfully in treating skin cancer, and are now being shown to be effective in glioblastoma. In a study published this year in the journal Nature, the median survival rate improved from 20 months with standard treatment to 29 months with personalized vaccines — with half that time being free of tumor growth versus a month without growth for those receiving the standard treatment. The results of this research echo the message of the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center: “Hope Starts Here.”

Research and treatment institutions like the UMBTC in Marquette are making a difference at the local and global level. Many brain tumor patients and their families in the Escanaba area have been served by the work of the UMBTC, including the families of Don McInnis and Sue Anderson, who have been organizing this walk since losing their loved ones to brain tumors.

In addition to the walk, the event includes a fun run, bake sale, 50/50 raffle, silent auction, and raffle prizes from local businesses. Gold-level sponsors making this event possible are Superior Health Foundation, Luft Insurance Agency, Delta County Credit Union, Dobber’s Pasties and Skradski Family Funeral Homes, with several other local businesses contributing.

People of all ages are welcome, and the event is dog-friendly. Two marked courses along the lake are available — a two-mile walking loop and a 5K fun run. There is a registration fee with additional donations welcome to further fund important research. Donations are also possible online for those unable to attend.

Check-in opens at 9:15 a.m. at the pavilion at Ludington Park. The walk and 5K fun run start at 10 a.m., rain or shine.