The morning after a game day, Deonte Burton was up early braving a chilly morning at Bicentennial Park. Honoring his late mother, Barbara Burton-Malone, at the Susan G. Komen More than Pink Walk took priority over a couple extra hours of sleep.
“This is important to me. Sacrificing a little sleep, that’s the least I could do. It’s a remembrance of my mother so you have to sacrifice for things that you love, and I love my mother,” said Burton.
After a long battle with breast cancer, Burton’s mother passed away from the disease in 2014. In his everyday life, Burton finds ways to recognize his mother who was a cornerstone of strength for her family. His personal tributes to her range from the shoes he chooses to wear to a tattoo of the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon behind his ear.
For Saturday’s activities, he chose to sport a pair of eye-catching pink Jordan’s – only one of the many pink shoe options he has to choose from. Burton slowly made his way through the event, surrounded by a large assembly made up of breast cancer survivors, fighters, and loved ones affected by the disease. Although the temperature never rose above 50 degrees, it didn’t feel like it for Burton who felt warm with the amount of love and hope that filled the air.
“It means a lot,” Burton said looking around at all the people who endured the morning chill to be a part of the event. “It warms the heart. These are things that you need. You need to feel the love and see other people who are feeling how you feel. We help each other.”
