Survivors, their friends, family, and supporters marched through Manhattan, Woodbury and in Purchase.
They were all dressed in Pink and all had one unified message, which was to raise money for breast cancer research and raise awareness about early detection.
"Early detection saves lives, and it could happen to young people too. I was only 32 with two young babies. So we are looking to raise that awareness for everyone," said one survivor.
There were 22 walks Sunday morning across New York and New Jersey, meaning there were tens of thousands of supporters and tens of thousands of different stories.
Erica Bonime says she felt healthy and strong when she was diagnosed at the age of 43.
"I went through a year where everyday you thought 'am I going to make it to the next day?' and you get up and put one foot in front of the other and you try to make it through," Bonime said.
While Erica survived, others have not.
Many people walked in honor of their loved ones who lost their battle with breast cancer.
"We love you Terry. We love you. And we are going to do some walking today girl. We are going to walk for you. We love you Terry," said one participant.
Governor Paterson says 20,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed locally every year.
He stressed an important fact that many New Yorkers may not know.
"We want people to know this that New York State law mandates that if you have health insurance and you have a history or family of breast cancer, that screening will be paid for by the insurance, mammograms, and the works," Governor David Paterson said.
