Northwest Health - La Porte hosted a “Blow Away Breast Cancer” rally to commemorate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and honor those who have been affected by breast cancer on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The celebration was flooded with people wearing pink to help raise awareness for the occasion. Keith Nichols, CEO of Northwest Health - La Porte, kicked off the event sharing his excitement on bringing the hospital and community together for the event.
“Everybody is invested in caring for each other here,” Nichols said. “It’s a joy to come together today to celebrate the work we do.”
Nichols opened the celebration by stressing the values that come from overcoming adversity through the healing journey. After his opening statement, he introduced Dawn Picard, who is a recent breast cancer survivor.
“If you don’t take care of yourself, nobody else will,” Picard said. “I was putting myself last until about a year ago. When I went in for the mammogram, they told me that I had an unusual response and may have breast cancer.”
The experience was overwhelming to say the least for Picard, noting that she had about 30 appointments scheduled on such short notice after the news broke. However, throughout the process, she felt immense support along the way.
“Not once during this scary event did I ever feel alone,” Picard said. “Everybody was right there by my side. From all the great care and attention without anything slipping through in the process, I’m a survivor.”
Radiologist Smari Thordarson, MD, has seen first-hand how the process of managing breast cancer has evolved over time.
“About one in eight women will get breast cancer,” Dr. Thordarson said. "Fortunately, with the improvements in screening technology and great treatment, the risks that come from it have significantly decreased.”
Dr. Thordarson shared an analogy to help bring more light on why people need to take better care of themselves, especially in challenging times.
“Think about a car for example,” Dr. Thordarson said. “Every so often, we take the car in to get an oil change. Our bodies are a lot more important than that, so it’s even more necessary to treat ourselves right.”
Following the comments from the speakers, the party moved outside for the flag-raising ceremony and the planting of pinwheels. Northwest Health provided all who gathered around with pink pinwheels to surround the flagpole, symbolizing breast cancer being blown away by the wind.
For more information on Northwest Health - La Porte, visit NWHealthIN.com.
