The breast cancer survivor plans to attend Sept. 27 event
ROME, Ga., Aug. 26, 2025 – When Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic's Paper Doll Parade & Breast Cancer Awareness 5K Health Walk is in full swing on Sept. 27, Rhonda Wallace will be there.
Wallace is a breast cancer survivor and a dedicated supporter of the 5K and Health Walk, which is organized by Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation and will take place at Ridge Ferry Park.
“I do the walk every year and my family usually goes with me. I think my grandchildren will be there, too, so hopefully it will be a fun day," said Wallace.
Each year participants gather to share the importance of breast health and annual mammograms. In fact, Wallace discovered she had breast cancer in 2021 when she went for her yearly mammogram at The Breast Center at Atrium Health Floyd.
Wallace encourages other women to do the same.
“I definitely encourage everybody to get one, because they could be just like me. I had no symptoms, didn't feel anything. I thought there was nothing abnormal until that day," Wallace said.
She said the care she received at The Breast Center was extraordinary, setting a trend as she moved through her cancer journey.
“Now I get to see Dr. Paul Brock twice a year and have a mammogram and an MRI every year. It's a lot for people to digest. I will tell you, the journey is not easy, but I never one time felt like I was alone," said Wallace, who serves on the Hospital Authority of Floyd County and Floyd Healthcare Management, Inc. boards.
“He'll always be my hero," Wallace said of Brock, a general surgeon with Harbin Clinic and medical director of The Breast Center. “From the minute I called, he assured me that I was going to be just fine and that I was strong and healthy. He was really great at explaining the process."
Wallace said she is grateful for The Breast Center and the expertise it brings in treating cancer patients.
“We are so fortunate and so blessed to have that here in Rome," Wallace said. “I thank the Lord forever that someone had that vision."
The Paper Doll Parade & Breast Cancer Awareness 5K – a Peachtree Road Race qualifier – will start at approximately 9 a.m. with the 2-mile Paper Doll Parade health walk beginning at 9:15 a.m.
Atrium Health Floyd's iconic dolls – symbols of breast health, breast education and the belief that knowledge is power – will again be on display in fashionable running apparel around the park.
A dollar from every entry will go towards Floyd Healthc are Foundation's scholarship fund to financially assist women who can't afford a mammogram. You can also donate online at https://www.floyd.org/foundation/Pages/Make-a-Donation.aspx and select the Breast Center as the Giving Program.
A costume contest will be held at 8:45 a.m., and breast cancer survivors will be recognized after the walk and race are over.
Registration, which closes Sept. 21, will cost $31 for the run and $26 for the walk. Late registration will be in-person only and is $41 for both the walk and the run.
About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.