SACO — More than 2,000 people ran or walked a 5k loop from Thornton Academy to the Kerrymen Pub on Sunday during the 12th annual Mary’s Walk & Kerrymen Pub 5K. The fundraiser for cancer research was started in 1999 as a way to bring something positive out of one family’s grief.

In the summer of 1996, Mary Kerry Libby was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, an aggressive type of cancer. On March 7, 1997, at 44 years old, Libby lost her battle with cancer and died.

In 1999 her family, friends and other members of the community, more than 400 in all, came together in her name to raise money for the Maine Cancer Foundation, with the hope of one day bringing an end to the disease that touches the lives of so many.

From the 427 people who participated the first year, the event has grown, said Gene Libby, the widower of Mary Kerry Libby.

Last year, more than 2,600 participated in Mary’s Walk, he said.

As many as 3,000 were expected to run or walk this year. At press time, the final count of participants had not been tallied.

“It’s a good community event,” said Saco Mayor Roland Michaud, who has taken part in the event for years.

Family members of the late Mary Kerry Libby, including her husband, her son Matt Libby, her 97-year-old mother Grace Kerry ”“ who attended the opening ceremony ”“ and family friend Gov. John Baldacci are among those who participated in Sunday’s event because of their direct connection.

Others, like Thornton Academy students, seniors Thomas Quentin and Chad Harvey, have participated since they were in middle school simply because they enjoy running the event with their friends.

Then there are those like Louise Hurlbutt, a first-time participant from Kennebunk, who take part because of their direct connection with cancer. Hurlbutt, who raised more than $9,000 for Sunday’s event and was the largest individual fundraiser, is a breast cancer survivor.

Speaking before the start of the event on Sunday, Hurlbutt told the audience that they give cancer patients hope.

“Together we are a powerful force in the fight against cancer,” she said.

Sunday’s event was expected to bring in at least $180,000, said Peter King, a spokesman for the Maine Cancer Foundation.

That would bring the amount raised  for cancer research by the 12 Mary’s Walks that have taken place to approximately $1.4 million, said King.

One hundred percent of the money raised stays in Maine, he said.

One of the research projects that has been funded by the Maine Cancer Foundation is for research taking place at a University of New England laboratory in Biddeford. In 2008, the foundation bestowed an $80,000 grant to the university for research into a new pain medication for cancer patients.

That project is being headed up by Edward Bilsky, a UNE faculty member and researcher.

Bilsky, and researchers under his direction, are working on developing a new type of medication to manage chronic pain that some cancer patients suffer.

Some of the pain medication that is currently used by cancer patients, such as morphine or oxycodone, have a number of serious side effects, said Bilsky, ranging from nausea, vomiting and severe constipation, to drug dependence and even to a life-threatening effect like respiratory depression.

Because of these side effects, and a fear by some that they’ll become addicted to the drugs, a number of cancer patients choose not to take pain medication, and Bilsky, and instead live with their pain.

His team is working on creating a new type of drug from a peptide, which is a short version of a protein. Bilsky said he believes that such a drug would have fewer side effects than the pain medications that are currently being prescribed by doctors.

The grants from the Maine Cancer Foundation are modest in comparison with the amount of money it takes to get a drug into the marketplace.

Bilsky estimates developing a new drug can cost a pharmaceutical company as much as $1 billion from the research phase to winning approval by the FDA to begin selling a new medication.

However, grants from the Maine Cancer Foundation are important, he said, because they provide the seed money to collect the preliminary data necessary to win larger grants of $1 million or more from the National Institute of Health.

In addition, he said, the foundation provides funds specifically for Maine based researchers, it forms a bridge between the local community and the scientific community and it produces greater awareness about the disease and the need for funding.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.