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Lap 4 Life Helps In Fight Against Rare Desmoid Tumors

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Lap 4 Life is a fundraiser aimed at helping those diagnosed with a rare tumor called the desmoid tumor.

Maddalena Casabianca-Reade, one of the founders of the event, said she was inspired to help others after her brother Angelo battled a desmoid tumor for nine years.

"This event was a gift to my brother Angelo," Casabianca-Reade told CBS 2's Kathryn Brown. " ... I felt helpless watching him battle this, so I put my passion for running to a cause, and that cause is Lap 4 Life.

MORE: Lap 4 Life Website | Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation

"It is a day filled with emotion. It has a contagious energy, and it is a day, to me, that exemplifies community."

The sixth-annual Lap 4 Life will be held Saturday at Chadwick Lake Park in Newburgh, New York. It will include a 4-mile run, walk, kids fun run, a large community health fair, music and a silent auction.

According to the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation: "Desmoid tumors are tumors that arise from cells called fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are found throughout our body and their main function is to provide structural support and protection to the vital organs such as lung, liver, blood vessels, heart, kidneys, skin, intestines etc. and they also play a critical role in wound healing. When fibroblast cells undergo mutations they can become cancerous and become desmoid tumors (also known as 'aggressive fibromatosis')."

Watch the video above for the full interview with Lap 4 Life's Casabianca-Reade and Brian Reade and the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation's Steven Portnoy.

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