Correspondent photos / Sean Barron Thousands of runners of all ages will take to the track Sunday for the 15th annual Panerathon 10K/2-mile run and walk, which begins and ends at the Covelli Center in downtown Youngstown. The event raised about $700,000 to benefit the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.
YOUNGSTOWN – All it took was a single phone call to change the trajectory of Leo Daprile Sr.’s life and create a ripple effect that affected many others.
“She didn’t have any breast problems, but she was a very healthy woman overall, so it came out of the blue for us,” said Daprile, owner and CEO of Canfield-based Gem-Young Insurance & Wealth Advisors. “Our lives have never been the same.”
Daprile was referring to the impact on him and many others after his wife, Robin Daprile, lost her battle with stage 3-B triple-negative breast cancer in October 2020. She was 55 years old.
In this type of breast cancer, certain cells test negative for three types of receptors, including estrogen and progesterone, making conventional treatments such as medications and hormone therapy ineffective. Triple negative accounts for an estimated 15 to 20 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc.
Still, Robin Daprile received 100% support as her husband and about 110 others formed Robin’s Gems, one of the teams that participated in the 15th annual Panerathon 10K run and fun run at the Covelli Centre on Sunday.
The Vindicator was one of the main sponsors of the event.
Proceeds go to Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley to support the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.
This year’s Panerathon, which attracted at least 12,000 people of all ages, raised over $700,000 and surpassed the $5 million goal for the event’s 15-year run, noted race director Candace Madden.
Despite losing her battle with breast cancer, Robin Daprile, who received her diagnosis in April 2017, was dedicated to self-care. She was a personal trainer and certified sports nutritionist and also played tennis and competed in a national championship tournament, Leo Daprile Sr. said.
His late wife was also multifaceted – she was a highly respected coach, loved being a mother to the couple’s three sons and shared her kindness and compassion with many others, he added.
“She’s kind and sweet, just a wonderful person, and she’s strong,” Aracelis Sarisky said of her friend Julie Svarny, 42, of Ravenna, who was diagnosed last month, had a bilateral mastectomy and is undergoing chemotherapy. “I hope she continues to stay strong throughout this process.”
Sarisky and Svarny’s mother, Terry Cramer of Girard, were part of the four-person Team Julie, named in her honor.
Svarny, who has a 6-year-old son and a 14-year-old stepdaughter, has stage 3 breast cancer that has “spread very quickly,” Cramer said. Her daughter was also diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in June and will undergo multiple surgeries.
In addition, Svarny’s older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, Cramer added.
More than 230 teams participated in this year’s Panerathon, Madden said, many sponsored by area businesses. There were also numerous sports teams running or walking from area high schools and Youngstown State University, as well as a team from The Vindicator.
Members of the “Fighting for Mrs. Greg” team advocated for Colleen Gregorino, a teacher in the East Liverpool School District who was diagnosed with the disease several months ago, said Nick Toy, who lives in her community.
Gregorino’s daughter and his 12-year-old son are the same age, Toy added.
“We wanted to support her, her husband and her two children,” he said.
Girl Scout Troop 80182, based at Third Baptist Church in Youngstown, also participated in the celebrations.
“We need to motivate them to become good leaders in their community,” said Brenda Kimble, the group leader.
Kimble, who also serves on the Youngstown school board, added that she wants the Girl Scouts to be aware of the importance of volunteering in the community as well as taking care of their own health. Several of the Girl Scouts have family members with cancer, some of whom have never seen a doctor, Kimble said, adding that she plans to take the Girl Scouts on a tour of the breast cancer center.
Countless people are directly or indirectly affected by breast cancer, which is why it is so important to give back and support each other and the community as a whole, Madden said.
The Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center opened in 2011, and five years later, a mammography unit was added to eliminate transportation barriers for patients needing treatment. In addition, three satellite imaging sites — one each in Poland, Warren and Columbiana — were established to expand the center’s reach and allow for referrals to the center’s main location when needed, Madden noted.
There is also Joanie’s Sisters, a support group for women undergoing cancer treatment and recovery that meets monthly at the breast center. The support group’s goal is to encourage, inspire and give hope to patients and survivors during their journey with breast cancer, she said.
“It really takes a village,” Madden said, adding, “Complete strangers have come together to be like family, and family of family.”
Leo Daprile Sr. encouraged those diagnosed with the disease to be aware that there are people out there who are ready and willing to help them. Breast cancer patients would do well to take advantage of this help and not fight the disease alone, he stressed.
