Runners and walkers of all ages participated in the Katie Oppo Research Fund Memorial 5K, running for ovarian cancer research on a sunny Sunday morning on June 8 at Flower Hill Park in Manhasset.
This was the 15th run held in memory of Katie Oppo, a 19-year-old who died after battling a rare form of ovarian cancer called Small Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary-Hypercalcemic Type, or SCCOHT.
Oppo graduated from Manhasset High School in 2009 and went on to attend Johns Hopkins University to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. In August 2010, just before beginning her sophomore year of college at the age of 19, she was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer.
Oppo died April 11, 2011, after battling the disease for eight months.
The first memorial run/walk was held on July 24, 2011, just three months after Oppo’s death. The run was 6.19 kilometers long in memory of her birthday on June 19.
The 2025 race first place finisher was Tommy Sheerin, 19; second place was Daniel Magnani, 12; and third place was Nora Miller, 14.
The “Largest Group Award” went to the Northwell Health Gynae-Oncology Team whose 31 members included doctors in the Gynecology-Oncology department, staff members and their families.
Other teams this year included CCN Run, Running Tangles, Misty Mountain runners, Gambling Pals and New Hyde Park/Mineola runners Club.
The Katie Oppo Research Fund will host its dinner gala at Harbor Links Golf Club on Saturday, Sept. 27 . For more information, go to www.teamkatieoppo.org
