The day before last year’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, 3rd-grade teacher Beth Stromberg found out that her oldest friend had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She passed away just six weeks later. This year, Stromberg raised money for the walk by selling pink-and-white bracelets, handcrafted by her granddaughters, to teachers at her school, PS 26 in Flushing.

Stories like Stromberg’s animated and inspired thousands of UFT members as they came together in all five boroughs and on Long Island on Oct. 20 for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Some, like the team from P721 at MS/HS 368 in the Bronx, were walking to honor one of their own — in this case, an art teacher who had breast cancer but recently learned she is cancer-free.

Others, like paraprofessional Marian Thom from MS 131 in the Lower East Side, walked to honor their own triumphs over breast cancer. Thom, who has been a survivor for 18 years, raised nearly $5,000.

The walk, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, aims to increase awareness about breast cancer and raise money for researching and treating the disease. The UFT, a flagship sponsor of the event for the past 12 years, has become its largest single fundraiser. Last year, UFT members raised more than $1 million at the event, and UFT coordinator Servia Silva was confident that this year’s total would exceed that number.

“There were more walkers than ever before,” Silva said. “It was beautiful.”

At locations across the city, UFT members donned pink accessories and reveled in their fundraising accomplishments. Walkers from MS 518 in Brooklyn, whose team included nearly 100 students and parents along with staff members, beamed as they were photographed with a sign boasting their school’s fundraising total of more than $4,000. Chapter Leader Adriana O’Hagan, who lost her mother to breast cancer three years ago, organized the effort.

“It was an overwhelming experience,” said an emotional O’Hagan after the walk.

In Queens, pre-K teacher Jennifer Wolff from PS 51 in Richmond Hill walked in Flushing Meadows Corona Park with her classroom paraprofessional, Alice Carlino. The two have been walking with their school’s team for more than a decade, but this year’s walk held special meaning: The day of the walk coincided with the two-year anniversary of Carlino’s learning that her breast cancer was in remission.

“We walk to keep the awareness going,” said Carlino as she headed to the survivors’ tent, “and hopefully someday we’ll get a cure.”