Breast cancer T-shirt isn’t just a shirt; to these women, it’s personal

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Monday, September 30, 2024

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Breast cancer T-shirt isn’t just a shirt; to these women, it’s personal

STHS Communication Department, CommDept@stph.org

Key community stakeholders and supporters assemble for a group photo to mark the launch of St. Tammany Health Foundation’s annual breast cancer awareness campaign, titled St. Tammany United in Breast Health: The Power of Pink. It will continue all October long, with events and screening opportunities scheduled to take place throughout the community. (Photo by Tory Mansfield/STHS)

Honestly, it’s not really that unusual to sell T-shirts in support of breast cancer awareness month. In fact, on some level, it’s almost expected.

But the bright pink shirts being sold in support of St. Tammany Health Foundation’s monthlong 2024 campaign aren’t just any T-shirts.

They are a symbol of something more – of community, of compassion and of the friendships forged among the cancer patients who designed them and their care providers.    

“We saw the shirts from last year, and, being a woman, we were like, one, they need to be pink,” said Brenda DeMuth, a registered nurse on the Surgery Medicine staff at St. Tammany Health System who cares for breast cancer patients. “But also, it needs to represent the cancer patients – and what better way to do that than to get the cancer patients to design it?”

So, DeMuth assembled a group of a dozen or so patients for whom she has cared and invited them to put their creativity on display.

The “Pink Ladies,” as they call themselves, seized the opportunity. The result is a T-shirt that underscores the value of breast screenings, featuring a heart-shaped fingerprint embraced by a pink ribbon accompanied by the words “Prevention is at your fingertips.”

“They’re such an amazing group of women,” DeMuth said. “They’re strong and they’re wonderful and they’re us – they’re moms, they’re daughters, they’re granddaughters. They represent us.”

They’re strong and they’re wonderful and they’re us – they’re moms, they’re daughters, they’re granddaughters. They represent us."

-- Brenda Demuth, St. Tammany Health System registered nurse

DeMuth was speaking Monday (Sept. 30) at St. Tammany Cancer Center – A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center during the launch of the foundation’s campaign, formally titled St. Tammany United in Breast Health: The Power of Pink. As she spoke, dozens of people in pink shirts, pink pants, pink dresses, pink everything, celebrated the start of what will be a month’s worth of celebration, education and mammogram opportunities aboard the health system’s Be Well Bus.

As in years past, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is a partner in the campaign, attending events with the bus and offering supporters a chance to sign a pink-wrapped Sheriff’s Office vehicle for a $5 donation to local cancer care.

New this year is the participation of the Covington-based Timeless Touch Medical Aesthetics as the campaign’s inaugural Partner in Prevention Sponsor. According to co-owner and Nurse Practitioner Brittani Naccari Farrell, their involvement was a no-brainer.  

“We all know somebody who’s suffered from breast cancer – daughters, mothers, aunts, uncles – so we thought it would be a great thing to sponsor to give as much help as we can to support such a good cause and encourage more prevention,” Farrell said.

Other community partners included Winn-Dixie, employees of which held a toiletries drive to benefit cancer patients; Kendra Scott jewelers, which gifted special pieces on Monday to patients undergoing infusion treatment; and All American Medical, which was on-hand to provide massages for patients and cancer center staff.

In that regard, the cancer center has become more than a cancer center. It is also a community center, uniting people together for a common cause.

“When I came home to St. Tammany almost four years ago, it was to be a part of something special,” said breast surgeon Dr. Angela Buonagura of STHS’s Northlake Surgical practice, who works out of the cancer center. “Today, I can say without equivocation that the cancer program here really is just that. From the dedication of the administrative team to the entire cancer care team, I’m just deeply grateful for all of it, not just as a medical professional but as a member of the Northshore community.”

Visit www.STHFoundation.org/PowerofPink to learn more about how you can be a part of St. Tammany Health Foundation’s Power of Pink campaign.

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