2024 Northwestern Medicine Walk & 5K

Join us on October 19, 2024

Living Well. Living Better.

Join us to celebrate cancer survivors at the 2024 Northwestern Medicine Walk & 5K.

This event features a chip-timed 5K run, 1-mile walk — followed by a fun-filled, family-friendly festival!

We hope you will celebrate with us by becoming a participant or sponsor of this event. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the educational and clinical support programs and services provided by Northwestern Medicine Living Well Cancer Resources.

Living Well exists to provide compassionate care that empowers, encourages, supports and offers hope to patients with cancer and their families. Their commitment is unwavering: Help people facing cancer feel empowered with knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by the supportive community at Living Well. Through these programs and services, patients with cancer, their caregivers and cancer survivors learn vital skills that enhance their quality of life.

Saturday, October 19
Northwestern Medicine Field, home of the Kane County Cougars
34W002 Cherry Lane, Geneva

• Day-of-event registration and T-shirt pick-up opens at 8:00 am
• Celebration kicks off at 9:00 am
• Chip-timed 5K begins at 9:20 am
• 1-mile walk begins at 9:45 am

For more details about the day of the event, visit our FAQ page.

Celebration Garden

You can help brighten up Northwestern Medicine cancer centers by purchasing a Celebration Garden sign that will be placed outside a cancer center of your choice and at the event.

Finding Strength and Support at Living Well

Kim's Story 

When Kim was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma in late 2022, she did everything her physicians told her to treat it. For Kim, her diagnosis was a wake-up call, but she didn’t know where to go from there. Especially after she finished her treatment and was in remission.

In January 2024, she retired and now focuses full-time on being healthy and living her best life. For Kim, attending exercise classes at Living Well is part of her new routine. She has tried the yoga classes, loves going to the Movement for Bone Health class, and has started doing personalized weight training sessions every week, too. In these classes, the focus is on doing what you can and what feels good to you in a supportive environment.

“Going to Living Well allows me the opportunity to try new things and focus on wellness, not just fitness,” says Kim. “It really has helped me to get out and be around other people who are going through similar situations. It’s more like a support group and gives me a whole different mindset when it comes to exercise.”

Kim says she’s thankful to those who support Living Well: “Your dollars are greatly appreciated and are being used by people who really want to focus on living well.”

Katie's Story

In 2018, Katie was diagnosed with melanoma. Exactly five years later, she received another difficult diagnosis: stage 3 metastatic melanoma. Her care team at Northwestern Medicine acted fast and put a treatment plan into place.

On August 29, she completed her 18th and final immunotherapy treatment. However, it was during her fourth treatment session that she learned about Living Well, and decided she would give it a try.

“I was at my lowest of lows, and I knew I had to do something to change my tune,” says Katie. “I walked into a Living Well class one day after my lymphedema therapy session, and I haven’t stopped going back since. It’s given me so much strength and has become a vital part of my support system.”

Katie wishes that everyone would take advantage of Living Well because it is so refreshing to be surrounded by others who are going through the same thing. She notes that everyone who works at Living Well always has a smile on their face and that there is nothing scary in that building, only hope and support.

“’Thank you’ is an understatement. To those who donate to Living Well, you have no idea how much you’ve impacted lives,” she says.