Registration for the 2016 Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure is now open. The sixth edition of the Race for the Cure will be held January 16 and all interested in participating can visit komenbahamas.org for registration forms. Organizers are giving away a gift for every 25th person who registers online. Those that register by November 30 will be eligible to win the grand prize, a dinner for four at Atlantis.

Once again, Sunshine Insurance is the race's lead sponsor and organizer. The company's Vice President of Development Dwayne Swaby said his company is proud to have the Komen race as part of its Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend (SIRW).

"For those of you who aren't aware, it was former U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Ned Siegel, along with his wife Stephanie, who assisted us in getting the race series," said Swaby.

"During Ambassador Siegel's tenure here, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. While being treated, she was alarmed at the number of Bahamian women, particularly young women, who were plagued with breast cancer, so she decided to do something about it. She founded the Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation, which is dedicated to genetic testing so that researchers can find out why our women are being plagued with the disease. We were fortunate to maintain our relationship with the Siegels and it was through their efforts with the BBCIF and our Race Weekend event that we secured the Komen series. Today, it remains an important event on many people's calendars both locally and internationally."

Willie Moss, a breast cancer survivor for more than 20 years and the honorary chairperson of Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure, stressed the severity of breast cancer in The Bahamas.

"While the statistics in the U.S. are readily available, they are not as readily available here in The Bahamas. But, I can tell you that for every nine women in The Bahamas who have been diagnosed with breast cancer one man has been diagnosed with breast cancer. These are really startling statistics and that is something we really need to get a handle on it," she said.

"The more that you participate, the more help we will have to assist those support groups, to purchase the kind of equipment that can provide us with the testing that we need, to set up the registries that we need, to educate the young people. In honor of the event, Sunshine Insurance released the official Komen Bahamas Anthem by Visage last week entitled, "Save The Worldz (Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure)".

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