Correspondent photo / Sean Barron Jane Thomas of Hubbard shakes hands with Dr. Rashid Abdu during Sunday’s Panerathon at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown. Thomas credits Abdu for saving her life when she was a teenager. Event proceeds benefit the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center, , named after Abdu’s late wife.

YOUNGSTOWN — When asked to describe the late Robin Daprile’s personality and character, her son and daughter-in-law weren’t a bit shy about pouring out their hearts and emotions.

“My God, she was wonderful. A lot of my mental toughness came from my mom,” Leo Daprile Jr. said about his mother, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2020 at age 55. “She was so much more than her illness.”

He also fondly remembered everything from how his mother was a championship-level tennis player to her love of 1980s music to being a fan of former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to her love of preparing Sunday spaghetti dinners for him. Leo Daprile became a bit more emotional, though, when recalling, perhaps most importantly, that his mother “was the most authentic person you ever met.”

Robin Daprile was lovingly remembered for all of that and more, as evidenced by the estimated 130 family members, relatives and friends of all ages who made up Robin’s Gems, one of the many teams that took part in the 14th annual Panerathon 10K / 2-mile walk and run Sunday at the Covelli Centre, downtown.

At least 10,000 people on more than 200 teams participated in this year’s event, the proceeds of which will benefit the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, Candace Madden, a race director, noted.

All dollars raised go to the center, which since 2011 has been set up to ensure that women have access to treatment for the disease, even if they don’t have the means to pay, she stressed.

“This is truly a labor of love. I’m grateful to be part of it,” Madden said about the Panerathon gathering.

The diverse list of teams also included the Boardman Education Association, Team Cindy, Pink Lights the Way, Walking for Brenda, Gia Russa, Meridian Health Care, Greenwood Chevrolet, Phoenix Physical Therapy, Shelly’s Squad, Roemer Strong, #1 Cochran and Youngstown Gymnastics. In addition, several Youngstown State University sports teams were represented.

Runners and walkers were greeted with ideal weather that consisted of a light breeze, partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.

“(Robin Daprile) was a very special lady who cared very much about other people, and she was a wonderful, wonderful mother,” her sister-in-law, Barbara Daprile of Canfield, added. “She probably had the heart most people would want to have.”

Robin Daprile also was a personal trainer who stayed close with loved ones throughout the years since her diagnosis in 2017 and handled her illness with poise, grace and dignity, Barbara Daprile continued.

Twenty-two family members, relatives and friends comprised Jean’s Rack Pack team to rally around Jean Hull, 85, of Youngstown, who has survived breast cancer since X-ray and mammogram results led to her diagnosis in August 2022.

Among those on the team was her husband of 64 years, Bill Hull, who married her July 4, 1959.

“Everybody gave their independence, and I lost mine,” he joked about the day of their wedding.

For her part, Jean Hull, who finished chemotherapy and radiation treatments June 28, expressed deep gratitude for the help, love and support of a bevy of friends and family members.

“I feel good. This is my first time here and I’m pleased to be here,” said Hull, who advised those who are newly diagnosed with the disease to further appreciate family and friends. “They love you and will help you get through it.”

“She’s always there for everyone, so it’s nice to be here for her,” said Hull’s niece, Mandi Fluck, who helped organize the team.

Even though they may not know someone affected by the disease, some runners such as Matt Ries and his son, Anthony Ries, 8, of Niles, came to support the overall cause.

“It’s a family tradition for us. We’ve been doing this since our daughter was born,” Ries, who was representing Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell LTD, said.

Father and son completed the 2-mile portion of the race, said Anthony, who added that he enjoys running as well as playing baseball, basketball, soccer and golf.

Since its inception, Panerathon has raised about $3.5 million for the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center. This year’s walk and run brought in an additional $600,000, Danielle Covelli, marketing director for Warren-based Covelli Enterprises Inc., noted.

Also, the breast care facility has conducted about 130,000 exams since it opened 12 years ago, with an additional 11,000 such exams from its mobile mammogram vehicle, she explained.

In addition, this year’s event secured the first diamond sponsor, Jones Wealth Management / Merrill Lynch, which made a donation of at least $25,000, she said.

“We are blown away by the success of this year’s Panerathon. We could not have reached the milestone of $4 million raised for the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center without the support of our participants, sponsors, volunteers and supporters who have been loyal to our cause for well over a decade,” Sam Covelli, Covelli Enterprises’ chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Every year at Panerathon, we continue to show the world the generosity and the unity of the Mahoning Valley community.”

After most runners and walkers returned to the Covelli Centre, many of them shook hands with Dr. Rashid Abdu, husband of the late Joanie Abdu, who called the Panerathon gatherings “a good example of the generosity and caring community that comes here every year to run, walk, dance and sing to celebrate being together and helping women who are less fortunate in the Mahoning Valley.”

Among those who greeted Abdu was Jane Thomas of Hubbard, who credited him with saving her life when she suffered a lacerated liver at age 19.

“I just love him; he is a wonderful man,” said Thomas, who lost a close friend to breast cancer about 17 years ago. “He’s the reason I’m still here.”

Additional offerings included a kids fun run, along with several tables of healthy foods.