Employees in Reading, England, participate in 'Race for Life'

Roseanne Eden blasted the bull-horn at the beginning of the 15th Annual Race for Life 5K event in Reading, England, and more than 3,000 women began their walk in support of those battling cancer.

A receptionist at Rockwell Collins in Reading, Eden has survived cancer four times, and recently lost her husband to the disease. She was invited to kick off the event because of her extraordinary efforts to raise money for cancer research.

"It was really uplifting to get to start the race," said Eden, who joined Rockwell Collins in January 1998. "It's so inspiring to see all of these people raising money for the same disease that affects so many people every day."

Eden, who has been participating in Race for Life since 2000, rallied 13 other Rockwell Collins employees to participate in the event with her this year. Through donations and the use of a fund-raising Website, the Rockwell Collins team raised more than $6,000 (USD) to benefit cancer research.

"Many of my colleagues have lost a family member to cancer or have been affected by the disease in some other way," said Eden. "I didn't have to motivate them at all – it's just something that was really important to them."

The Race for Life is the United Kingdom's largest female-only fund-raising event. In 2007, more than 665,000 women participated in races across the country, raising nearly $80 million (USD).

"I want to keep organizing teams from our company," concluded Eden. "It's important that we continue to join together in the fight against such an awful disease."