Breast Cancer Survivors Support Knoxville Race for the Cure with Facebook Campaign

Sept. 29, 2011 - PRLog -- As the 15th annual Komen Knoxville Race for the Cure® approaches, a group of pink glove wearing breast cancer survivors are raising their fists and encouraging others to join them in the fight against breast cancer. The women, all UT Medical Center employees, launched their campaign in support for Race for the Cure on Facebook Thursday.

Posing in a photo in front of the medical center, the survivors all have their fists raised in a playful manner to promote a serious message about the importance of women following recommended guidelines for mammograms. The photo is included in a poster that promotes the annual screening recommended for women age 40 and older or earlier for those with a family history of breast cancer. Through the Chemo Bear (teddy bear mascot of the UT Medical Center Cancer Institute) Facebook page, the women posted their photo and message onto the wall of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Knoxville, TN Affiliate Facebook page. In a news conference, they encouraged everyone to get their friends, coworkers, families or other groups together and post similar “pink team” photos on the Komen page in the days leading up to the race.

Dr. John Bell, director of the UT Medical Center Cancer Institute, echoed their message.

“Get out there, get screened, get appropriate treatment and join the more than 12 million survivors in this country who have been diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lives,” Bell said. “Early detection saves lives.”

UT Medical Center signed on for Knoxville’s inaugural Race for the Cure in 1997 as a presenting sponsor of the event and has maintained that status ever since. Komen Knoxville also announced a new presenting sponsor for this year’s race, the Local Area Ford Dealers. All entities appear poised to transform the town pink for the month of October.

“As we kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we really appreciate how these survivors from UT Medical Center embody our new Komen motto of ‘Less Talk, More Action,’ when it comes to the fight against breast cancer,” said Amy Dunaway, Special Events Coordinator for Komen Knoxville. “Schedule your mammograms, take part in Race for the Cure and get involved some of the great awareness raising activities taking place throughout the Knoxville Region. We’re extremely thankful for the support of the UT Medical Center Cancer Institute and the Local Area Ford Dealers.”

The 2011 Komen Knoxville Race for the Cure® will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22. There’s still time to register for the race, organize teams and raise funds for breast cancer research. Visit www.komenknoxville.org to register for the event or for more information.

The mission of The University of Tennessee Medical Center is to serve through healing, education and discovery. UT Medical Center, a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about The University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.