Lowell Pink Arrow Project

The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s is once again sponsoring the groundbreaking Lowell Pink Arrow Pride Project. This year’s Pink Arrow Pride festivities will not only turn the football team and fans pink on September 11, 2009 at their first home football game against Grand Rapids Union, it will be a daylong festival of athletic contests coupled with reminders of the importance of screenings for early cancer detection and remembrances of those lost to the disease.

This year the proceeds of the project will be used to establish a Gilda’s Club of Lowell. The Lacks Cancer Center will be partnering with Gilda’s Club Lowell to offer health education lectures.

“This important partnership not only raises awareness of the importance of screenings and early detection of breast cancer, but has also created a lot of positive energy in Lowell,” commented Tara Geror, Marketing Director of Saint Mary’s Health Care and Lowell resident. “We’re proud to be a part of it, and as a resident of Lowell, I’m especially proud because I see the effect that it’s having.”

As the first major partner with Lowell Community Wellness to sponsor the Pink Arrow Project in its kickoff year last year, The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s will repeat some of the activities that were so successful, such as the varsity football team’s visit to the cancer center to meet some of its medical leaders and to watch a video of Chris Spielman, former Ohio State and NFL All-Pro linebacker. Spielman talked of his fights on the football field and his much more difficult fight to support his wife as she underwent breast cancer treatments.

This year’s visit took place on August 4. The Lacks Cancer Center also hosted the girls’ Varsity Club last February, providing a tour of the center and educational sessions with our clinical cancer experts. “It was a wonderful, educational, eye-opening experience,” one of the girls remarked as the group left. “I’m going to go home to remind my own mom to make an appointment for a mammogram.”

Visit www.pinkarrowpride.org for all the details of the day. Be sure to purchase your Pink Arrow Pride t-shirt. It's gets you in for free to all the festivities!