MOBILE, Alabama (Sept. 17, 2025) – The 18th Annual GO Run for gynecologic oncology, presented by the Catranis Family Charitable Foundation, will be held Saturday, Sept. 27, at USA Hancock Whitney Stadium. All proceeds from the 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run benefit critical research at USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute. Teams and individuals can register online or donate at usahealthsystem.com/gorun.

Each year, GO Run brings together hundreds of community members to honor loved ones impacted by gynecologic cancers, including cervical, ovarian, uterine/endometrial, vaginal and vulvar cancers — diseases that affect more than 115,000 women annually in the U.S., according to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer.

This year, the Shake Your Teal Feathers team will once again take to the course in honor of Courtney Upton, a Satsuma native, University of South Alabama graduate and beloved community leader who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2018.

“Courtney was eager to get a group together for GO Run,” said Sharron Upton, Courtney’s mother. “She wanted to support research not only for her own health, but for the numerous others in the community who are impacted by this horrible disease.”

Courtney founded Shake Your Teal Feathers shortly after her diagnosis in 2016. Over the past eight years, the team has raised more than $70,000 in support of gynecologic cancer research at MCI, which includes a large gift from Courtney herself. In 2017 — the only year Courtney was able to participate — nearly 180 friends and family members joined her on the course.

“I was so motivated by the number of people who came out to support Courtney that first year,” Sharron said. “You could clearly see that Courtney was loved by so many in our community.”

A Legacy of Service and Strength

Courtney earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel restaurant management from Auburn University and master’s degree in school counseling from the University of South Alabama.

“Courtney was so smart, and outside of school, she made sure she took the time to support the community,” Sharron said. “She volunteered with Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity and was selected for Youth Leadership Mobile. After high school, she was active in Junior League of Mobile and Leadership Mobile, volunteered for Ronald McDonald House and was an advocate for the MCI Go Run. Because of her compassionate nature, Courtney had a dream of being a school counselor.”

During her cancer treatment, Courtney continued working full time for the Drug Education Council and completed her school counseling internship at her alma mater, Satsuma High. In 2017, she was named Outstanding School Counseling Graduate Student by the USA College of Education and Professional Studies.

“Courtney would spend all day at chemo treatments and still made it to class in the evenings,” said Amy Upton, Ph.D., an assistant professor of school counseling at South. “Courtney was more resilient than anyone I’ve ever met. She was an extraordinary woman passionate about the work to be done with the youth in our community.”

Walking with Purpose

Courtney’s legacy lives on through multiple scholarships and initiatives in her name, including the Courtney Upton Leadership Scholarship awarded by the Drug Education Council during Red Ribbon Week and Courtney’s Corner, an online anti-bullying resource for local schools.

“Courtney was a force to be reckoned with,” said Virginia Guy, executive director of the Drug Education Council. “Even in the midst of some of the hardest moments during treatment, Courtney still wanted to travel to north Mobile County to meet with students and staff. I run as part of Shake Your Teal Feathers in her honor, and I hope others will come out to support this wonderful event to help us find a cure.”

In 2017, encouraged by her physician and team at the Mitchell Cancer Institute, Courtney enrolled in an experimental trial at MD Anderson — an opportunity that her mother says ultimately extended her life.

“I’m forever thankful to the doctors and staff at the Mitchell Cancer Institute,” said Sharron. “Courtney stayed very positive, always making others laugh. The staff had a special bond with Courtney, and they really welcomed her with open arms and supported us along the way. One of the nurses even visited Courtney during her lunch break when Courtney was admitted to the hospital. Moments like that really made a difference. That same nurse participates in GO Run to this day.”

For Sharron, Virginia, Amy and many others, the GO Run is not about speed — it’s about purpose.

“I remember laughing hysterically while brainstorming a list of possible puns we could use for team names, and we all agreed that Shake Your Teal Feathers was both funny and applicable,” said Susan Andress, Courtney’s best friend who now works with AMSTI (Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative) at the USA College of Education and Professional Studies. “Many of us got together and made teal tutus and sported them during that first run. Courtney was team leader and walked with us. We just knew she would beat cancer. I lost my very best friend.”

Andress said Courtney cared deeply for others, and supporting GO Run is a way to honor the difference she made in the lives of many.

“Courtney was always the first person to support her friends in what they had going on,” Andress said. “A child’s fundraiser — Courtney would buy that wrapping paper or candy bar. An event at work — she would be there or would send you a gift or text of encouragement. If you were down or discouraged — Courtney would send you a card to brighten your day. So when the GO Run was advertised after she passed away, we knew we had to support her memory the way she had supported all of us throughout the years.”

Join Shake Your Teal Feathers and hundreds of others as they walk, run and dance to raise awareness and funding for gynecologic cancer research. Learn more at usahealthsystem.com/gorun.