The walkers, from left, are: Janice Havay, Sandy Riddle, Beth Hanratty, Jen Shields, Teicia Gaupp, and Jenny Rossano. Missing from the photo is Cristie Ritz King. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

Seven Red Bank woman, “angry” about the loss of friends and family members to breast cancer, plan to walk 39 miles over two days in October to raise money for research to prevent the disease.

But first comes a party.

The women, dubbing themselves the Red Bank Bosom Buddies, plan to participate in the Avon 39 walk, which takes place in Manhattan in October.

The party, a fundraising event, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 5 at the Chowda House in Red Bank.

Sandy Riddle says she was inspired to participate in the walk by the death, from breast cancer, of neighbor Beth Levybensetton, at age 48 in 2010. But each of the seven has been touched in some way by the disease, Cristie Ritz King writes in a  post on the Jersey Moms Blog (which she founded with walker Teicia Gaupp).

From the post:

We’re mad that our sisters are fighting for their lives just when they’re supposed to be in their prime. We’re angry that our mothers and aunts have to go through devastatingly brutal chemo when instead they should be enjoying retirement in the sand somewhere. We’re pissed that our neighbors are taken from us just when we’ve cemented them into our hearts as friends. And we’re sick and tired of explaining to our kids where their beloved teacher’s gone, or why their friend’s mom wears a wig or why they’re the only one in their class without a grandma…

Cancer has pissed this group off enough to hit the streets and do our part to change the future. Sometimes, anger works.

Tickets for the Chowda House event may be purchased here. For more information, contact 908-531-7182 or gaupps [at] gmail.com