Decorah woman receives award for her work in fighting breast cancer

Margaret Walter poses with Paula Tower's children, Kate and Jeff, who presented the award on Saturday. her award Saturday in La Crosse

On Saturday in La Crosse, 6,300 walkers, including 350 breast cancer survivors, took part in the "Steppin' Out in Pink" walk to raise funds to fight breast cancer.  Now in its 9th year, the event raised $370,000 in donations, all of which were used to support programs in Northeast Iowa, Western Wisconsin and Southeastern MInnesota.

Every year as part of the event, the Paula Tower Award is given to one individual in Iowa, Wisconsin or Minnesota.  The award was established to honor Paula Tower, a mammography technologist who worked at Gundersen Health System for more than 16 years.  In July 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  In 2007 the disease claimed her life.

On Saturday her children were on hand to present the award to this year's recipient--Margaret Walter of Decorah.  Walter was recognized for her role in starting Winneshiek County Celebration of Life, which has paid for free mammograms for 900 women in the past 16 years.  The group has also awarded $5,000 in gas cards to women getting cancer treatments in La Crosse or Rochester.

WCCOL's annual fundraiser will be held next month on the second floor of T-Bock's.  Last fall the 15th annual Celebration of Life fundraiser in Decorah brought in $20,000 in donations.  All money raised by the Celebration of Life event go toward promoting breast cancer awareness and early detection of disease through education and free mammograms.  Most of all, the fundraiser is a chance for women who have survived breast cancer to celebrate their journeys and give thanks for the help they received.

On Saturday in La Crosse, Mugs Walter and Winneshiek County Celebration of Life were recognized for exemplifying "the selfless giving of time and energy to advance the message of hope for a future without breast cancer."

Members of the Winneshiek County Celebration of Life celebrate with Mugs Walter (Click on photo for larger image)