Taken in 2013, just one of the many images by Alan McRae over the years. Alan McRae / Courtesy

Fifteen or so years ago, I was commissioned by the Concord Monitor to photograph the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Concord. I was struck (the perfect word to describe the feeling) by the palpable emotion of the hundreds of people, survivors, family, friends and volunteers gathered to participate in the opening ceremonies, including the survivors’ procession.

As I stood behind my camera and sunglasses, I was grateful for autofocus, as I photographed the hundreds of women and a few strong men, walking reverently and proudly through the crowd, surrounded by applause. There wasn’t a dry eye on the field at that moment, including mine.

Photographing people all around the venue, including the survivors’ tent was truly moving. As the ceremonies progressed, leading up to the survivors’ walk, I was absorbed as I captured the wide range of emotions shown by individuals and teams. The survivors’ walk was electric, the energy and emotion palpable in the huge crowd. Finishing with the traditional survivors’ portrait done by Mike St. Germain was the charge that sent the walkers on their way.

Photographing the enormous wave of walkers moving up Clinton Street was a powerful close to my morning assignment. I have been photographing the event nearly every year since. ‘Nearly’ only because one year I was out of the country, but it is now an immovable date on my calendar, something I start looking forward to the moment I leave Memorial Field.

Making Strides started as a work assignment but morphed into a community event that touches me so deeply that I come back year after year as a volunteer photographer.

A big part of why I keep coming back year after year and will continue to do so as long as I’m able, is the fact that I have had a number of friends who have been affected by breast cancer, along with other types of cancer. Some of them are survivors to this day. Others fought a tough battle and ultimately succumbed to this horrific disease.

As a kid, I can recall family friends and neighbors being diagnosed with cancer and it was almost invariably a death sentence. Great progress has been made in the treatment of all types of cancer, particularly breast cancer and the survivorship rate continues to improve. I continue to volunteer each year with the shared hope that one day, a cure will be found.

I do this for my friends — Donna, Theresa, Cathy, Kathi, Trish, Karen, Stephanie and others.

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