Eldon Gould was running for his wife Sherise who was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. (CBC)

A First Nations community in Cape Breton is inviting other Mi'kmaq reserves to join it in the fight against breast cancer. Eskasoni held its first annual Mi'kmaq Run for the Cure on Sunday.

More than 100 participants went through warm-ups in preparation for the 5.2 kilometre walk.

Eldon Gould had planned to take part in the CIBC Run for the Cure a week ago until he realized it coincided with Treaty Day, which he always attends. He was determined to run because his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer in March.

With the help of some strong organizers in the community, Gould's run became a reality. He's hoping the run will pick up more participation from aboriginal groups.

"We're just going to start it off and hopefully we'll make it annual and get other Mi'kmaq communities that are isolated like Eskasoni to take part in these types of events," Gould said.

Sherise Paul-Gould, Eldon Gould's wife, said words can't describe the gratitude she feels for the show of support from her community. She says her aunt and her mother are both breast cancer survivors.

"You also realize how many people have suffered in silence," said Sherise Paul-Gould. "We didn't even know a lot of the people who were survivors of breast cancer until we made it more vocal."

Organizers said all the money raised from the run will go to the same breast cancer research fund the traditional Run for the Cure has supported through the years.