SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
the POWER of
Pink OCTOBER 1, 2017 | VOL. 8 PHOTO BY JESSICA SHEA
From left: Susan G. Komen Tidewater staff members Lisa Chacon, special events/development manager; Clarissa Lewis, volunteer manager; Sharon Laderberg, executive director; and Miki Donovan, mission manager.
The finish line is a world without breast cancer T
he key numbers are 31 and five.
als make this progress possible. Here in this spe-
Every week in greater Hampton Roads, 31
cial section are stories of individuals whose close
women are diagnosed with breast cancer and
encounters with breast cancer have stirred them
five lose their battle with the disease.
to action.
“That shouldn’t happen,” said Sharon Laderberg,
Laderberg said the theme of this year’s fundrais-
executive director of Susan G. Komen Tidewater,
ing thrust is “More than Pink.” The staff of Susan
the local affiliate of the national breast cancer non-
G. Komen Tidewater would love for the public to
profit. “That’s why we do what we do.”
wear pink to raise awareness, but she urges peo-
The worldwide effort to end breast cancer has seen tremendous progress in the past 35 years, according to Laderberg. “If it’s detected early, breast cancer is treatable,” Laderberg said. Scientific breakthroughs in breast cancer research and increased awareness of screening for
ple to move beyond that; get screened, get involved, and raise funds. The Susan G. Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure is way to help fight against breast cancer, and Laderberg says that’s a good start, but it’s important to remember the finish line is: “A world without breast cancer.”
the disease have helped survival rates skyrocket. But it’s important to remember that individu-
— Ben Swenson