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Community Corner

Think Pink: Breast Cancer Awareness Events in the Region

From galas to walks to shopping, here's how you can participate, pledge support and donate to the cause in Massachusetts.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and whether you love to shop, attend events, walk or run, there are tons of different ways to support the cause. Check out the list below of opportunities to go pink: 

Good Samaritan Radiation Oncology Center Oct. 10: Mother Daughter Breast Cancer Program will be held 6 to 8 p.m. at 818 Oak St., Brockton. Topics include genetic testing and counseling, emotion and support, breast exams and screening and breast cancer survivor panel. For more information call Melissa Padeni at 508-897-4324 or email Melissa.Padeni@cancer.org.

Party in Pink Zumbathon Oct. 13: The third annual Party in Pink Zumbathon will be held in Dedham or Brookline. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised from this event will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, which grants you automatic entry into raffles. 

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W&I Center for Health Education Oct. 18: The eighth annual Breast Health Luncheon will be held noon at 2168 Diamond Hill Road, Woonsocket, R.I. At this free program, David Emonson, MD will present the latest information on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options for breast cancer. A hospital radiology specialist will talk about screening and imaging tools and answer questions about digital mammography machimes. A healthy luncheon will be served and a RI Women's Cancer Screening Program representative will be there to provide referral info/services. This program is a collaboration between Women and Infants' Woonsocket Medical Office Building and the YWCA Rhode Island.

Signature Healthcare: October marks the opening of Signature Healthcare’s Virtual Breast Center, where through collaboration between an expert patient navigator, oncologists, radiation therapists and radiologists, all patients found to have a breast exam abnormality are followed and counseled.  The center is “virtual” because a patient’s primary care physician can dial into the discussion, as well as experts from pathology, surgery, pharmacy and nursing for consultation. Also new for patients is the Survivorship, Training and Rehabilitation program. Signature Healthcare will recognize Breast Cancer Awareness throughout October with the following community activities:

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- Get A Mammogram for a Gift: All Signature Medical Group patients who call to schedule and receive their mammograms during the month of October will receive a free pink Pandora-style charm bracelet.

- Signature Healthcare’s Pink Video: Signature Healthcare departments will “dance for awareness” in a compilation video produced by staff. The unveiling will take place on two different dates in the organization and will be posted on the website.

- Mammogram Scheduling: Signature Healthcare imaging will host three informational tables/ events to encourage employees to schedule mammograms and provide educational giveaways.

- A Day of Healing. Oct. 16: Signature Healthcare's Radiation Therapy Department will sponsor a full day of relaxation and educational workshops to 10 area women who are in treatment for breast cancer or are breast cancer survivors.

- Reiki “I Can Cope.” Oct. 23: 3 to 5 p.m., Signature Healthcare Radiation Therapy, 680 Centre St., Brockton: A certified Reiki specialist will be present to work with cancer patients. 

There are even more ways to spread breast cancer awareness this month by supporting national organizations that are fighting for a cure.

Research centers like Susan G. Komen for the Cure are selling pink ribbon merchandise and it’s a twofer — retail therapy and donating to a cause that affects millions.

You can also support breast cancer research by affixing a special stamp to your mail. The U.S. Postal Service has been selling a stamp commemorating breast cancer awareness for the past 15 years. The agency has raised $75 million so far for research programs at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.

The American Cancer Society’s annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk is organized nationwide and so far more than 8 million people have walked for this cause and raised about $460 million.

And you can join people from four continents in a Race for the Cure event organized by Susan G. Komen For The Cure, or an Avon Walk For Breast Cancer event organized by the Avon Foundation for Women.

TELL US: Is there a special event you participate in to support breast cancer research? Share your stories and thoughts with us by adding them to the comments sections of this article. Also, be sure to add photos of you and your friends supporting the cause to the photo gallery above.

 

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Are you a film buff? If so, plan a road trip to Santa Rosa, CA to attend the short film festival Lunafest. Proceeds from the event are donated to the Breast Cancer Fund.

Or you could attend an inspirational luncheon in Derby, CT to commemorate women who have been working tirelessly to spread breast cancer awareness. Your ticket would help the Griffin Hospital/Valley Breast Care Fund ensure that no one is ever denied a mammogram or diagnostic testing for breast cancer. Events such as the Women Rock Women’s Retreat in Eau Claire, WI, and Beats for Boobs in Seattle, WA bring art, fashion, music and food to local venues to raise money for breast cancer research, care and awareness.

If cycling’s more your thing, head to Tallahassee, FL, Cedar Rapids, IA, Cambridge, MN or Nashua, NH for the 7th annual bike ride, held by various bike shops to spread breast cancer awareness.

The Pink Ribbons program in Atlanta, GA, is organizing its annual fashion show and luncheon. The event is a great way to discover what’s in style this season and to raise money for breast cancer awareness. This event also features a fashion show where breast cancer survivors strut down the runway. Team Angels Foundation, based in Michigan, hosts a yearly dinner and fashion show to help spread the message that breast cancer can affect both men and women.

If you’re in the market for a wedding dress, or just enjoy wedding fashion, then mark your calendar for Brides Against Breast Cancer's wedding dress fashion show in Baltimore, MD.

Addicted to Zumba? Join other Zumba enthusiasts at the Party in Pink™ Zumbathon® in Brookline, MA, and enjoy a workout while making your donation.

Walks are the most popular events held to spread awareness. Sista Strut in St.Louis, MO, aims to increase awareness among people of color through their annual 3K walk. Or you could join the two-mile Cure Breast Cancer Foundation walk in Verona, NJ.

There’s also the 5K walk/run organized by the Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer in New York.  You could help raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation by signing up for their 5K walk in Rhode Island. There is also the Walk to Fight Breast Cancer in Alexandria, VA. And the PA Breast Cancer Coalition in Pennsylvania has walks and running events almost every Saturday in October.

If you’re looking for a night full of fun, music and dance, then the Pink Carpet Gala, organized by the JD Breast Cancer Foundation in Cleveland, OH, might be your kind of event. To celebrate and honor survivors, the gala will also have makeovers. 

Get your dose of beer and sauerkraut—and donate to the Pretty in Pink Foundation at the same time—at OktoberFest in Wilmington, NC. And for those looking for an old-fashioned pub crawl with rock music thrown in, a series of concerts by Rockers4Knockers in South Carolina would be fun way to spend a Sunday.

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