Lois Orange Ducoeur Walk of Hope

Mark your calendar to attend the Lois Orange Ducoeur Walk of Hope celebrating all cancer survivors! The one-mile walk will be held Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM.. The event will take place at Palmer Park Pavilion #1 in Donora, PA. Registration begins at 9:00 AM with the walk starting at 10:00 AM.

This event commemorates Lois Orange Ducoeur, a remarkable woman born in Charleroi in 1911. Lois and her husband, Fernand "Duke" Ducoeur, jointly managed their family business, Orange's. During World War II, while Duke served in the U.S. Merchant Marines, Lois courageously raised their children and ran the store. In 1955, Lois was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She bravely fought the disease for a decade before succumbing to it in 1965.

As Lois' granddaughter, Rebecca Brown, has said, "We fight for our mothers, daughters, sisters, and all our loved ones. The walk brings us together as a community because no one fights alone."

2025 Lois Orange Ducoeur Breast Cancer Walk

October 11, 2025 was a great day for breast cancer patients and survivors in the Mon Valley Region! During the 22nd Annual Lois Orange Ducoeur Breast Cancer Walk, more than $13,500 was raised to provide comfort care items to breast cancer patients at Penn Highlands Mon Valley. The funds were raised from donations, sponsors and raffles.

Approximately 100 people dressed in pink participated in the fun event, which was held for the first time at Palmer Park Pavilion #1 in Donora, PA. The day included a one-mile walk, a huge selection of raffle baskets, half the take, a bracelet raffle donated by MarBill Diamonds and Jewelry, memorial ribbons, breakfast featuring pink donuts and music.

The program included brief remarks from Josh LaFleur, Regional Market President – Southwest Region for Penn Highlands Healthcare; Natalie Furgiuele, MD, FACS, a board-certified surgeon and the Director of the Penn Highlands Mon Valley Breast Program; Becky Brown, granddaughter of Lois Orange Ducoeur; and Ryan Pasternak, System Fund Development Manager, Major Gifts, Penn Highlands Healthcare.

Thank you to everyone who came out to walk, and remember and honor those fighting breast cancer! A special thank you to our Diamond Sponsor, the Penn Highlands Mon Valley Medical Staff.

The event would not be made possible without the event-day volunteers and the dedication of the committee members that included Penn Highlands Mon Valley employees Debbie Burkhardt (chairperson), Maryann Konsugar, Ryan Gray, Michele Haftman, Nicole Chiplaskey, and Lauren Altemara.