First Lady will participate in Charleston cancer walk

First Lady Jenny Sanford’s office today said she will take part Saturday in the 16th annual Susan G. Komen Lowcountry Race for the Cure in Charleston.

The 5k run/walk will begin at 9:10 a.m. at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island.

A member of the Hollings Cancer Center Advisory Committee at the Medical University of South Carolina, Sanford will walk the race with her sister, Kathy Sullivan, and the Roper St. Francis Cancer Center Team.

"I'm looking forward to being a part of another Komen Race for the Cure," Sanford said in a press release. "Many of us have been touched by someone with breast cancer, and this race is a great way to honor those we've lost and encourage those battling breast cancer today. It's also a reminder of the vital role good nutrition, regular physical activity, knowing the risk factors and getting checked often have in reducing one's chances of getting cancer. I very much look forward to joining survivors and supporters alike in a good cause as we raise funds to help others in our community."

Sanford did not take part in an Oct. 3 cancer walk in Columbia, an event she attended last year.

She moved out of the Governor's Mansion in August, about six weeks after her husband, Gov. Mark Sanford, admitted to a yearlong affair with an Argentine woman.

Jenny Sanford said then that she would continue her duties as first lady while caring for the couple's four boys at the family's beach home on Sullivan's Island.

Since then she has kept a low profile, although some media have reported she is writing a memoir due out in May.

In 2005, Jenny Sanford launched the Healthy S.C. Challenge, an initiative to encourage South Carolinians to quit smoking, exercise more and improve their eating habits.

Unlike other first ladies, Jenny Sanford worked closely with her husband, helping to run his campaigns and to make some policy decisions. She also briefly was the governor's chief of staff.

In 2003, she helped oversee the renovation of the Lace House on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion. It since has been reopened for weddings and other events.

-- From staff reports