Home Background Testimonials Student Programs Adult Programs Video Clips Recent Clients In The News On The Farm Contact Information	‘Andrea's Pearls' Walk For Lohr Race Raised $4.5M For Cancer Programs LEFT TO RIGHT: Devin Skelly, Aarika Malca, Sheli Rush and Nicole Terrell walk in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C., Saturday in honor of Broadway resident Andrea Lohr, who is battling breast cancer for the third time. HARRISONBURG - On Saturday, Sheli Rush and the rest of her five-member team hit the streets of the nation's capital to support Broadway resident Andrea Lohr in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, a fundraiser for breast cancer research and programs. The two women met in 1995 when they were both newlyweds and living in the same Broadway apartment building. They quickly became friends. Then, in 2006, Lohr was first diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease went into remission after radiation treatment and surgery, only to return in November 2007. Again, Lohr fought the disease only to see it return a third time. In support of her friend's continuing fight, Rush, an office manager and paralegal with the Rockingham County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, started raising money for the 5K race about a month ago. "It's for Andrea," said Rush, who also walked in the 2008 Avon Walk For Breast Cancer. "She's really been going through a lot with her battle. She never gives up. If she can believe that there will be a cure, we can, too." Rush's team, which raised more than $1,000, included fellow paralegal Nicole Terrell, retired Rockingham County teacher Valeria Mayes, and her two adult daughters, Aarika Malca, and Devin Skelly. On Friday, the group headed to the Washington, D.C., area to Malca's house to prepare for the race. There the team made pink hats with "Andrea's Pearls" written on them. They named the team "Andrea's Pearls" because pearls are Lohr's favorite jewel. Malca, 26, of Chantilly, met Lohr at a jewelry party at Mayes' home in March. Malca and her sister decided to walk this year in the Susan G. Komen event but wanted to do it in honor of someone. "We wanted to walk for someone and we thought of Andrea," said Malca, adding that Lohr always does so much for everyone else. "She's such a great influence on people." Lohr, 35, is going through chemotherapy treatments in New Jersey. "So far, it's been going pretty well," said Lohr, the wife of Matt Lohr, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "We're just hoping for the best." Lohr said she was thrilled that the women chose to walk for her. "When you're going through cancer or anything like that, it means the world to you for them to say, ‘We're with you in your battle,'" she said. "That's the kind of people they are." Susan G. Komen for the Cure, considered the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, has spent nearly $1.5 billion since its inception in 1982 in the fight against breast cancer, according to the organization's website. More than 40,000 people took part in this year's Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, raising more than $4.5 million. Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com Daily News Record, June 8, 2010