The Ross Medical Education Center campus in Cincinnati, Ohio takes pride in participating annually in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. The Making Strides walks are the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the nation. The walks help participants raise funds that enable the American Cancer Society to fund innovative research, help provide free information and support to anyone touched by breast cancer, and help reduce breast cancer risk.
This year the walk was held on Saturday, October 22nd, and instead of starting a team, the Ross campus had several staff members and students that walked as individuals in the noncompetitive three to five mile events. In addition to the walk, on Monday, October 24th, the campus hosted their very own team member, Office Assistant Kimberly Oswald, as their guest speaker to share her breast cancer survivor story. Kimberly said, “I was happy to share my cancer journey with the students for breast cancer awareness because I believe knowledge is power in early detection of any type of cancer. Kimberly provided information for the Breast & Cervical Cancer Project, 30 Ways to Lower your Risk, and information about free breast and cervical screenings.
In addition to participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk this year, Lead Instructor for the Pharmacy Technician program at Ross, Deirdre McClain, also participated in a 5K Breast Cancer Walk for Mommy Has Breast Cancer. Deirdre’s aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32. She was married with four young children, with her youngest being about a year old.
The Mommy Has Breast Cancer organization offers services for prepared meal delivery, housekeeping, education designed for children, childcare during treatment, transportation for treatment, and support for the loved ones of those diagnosed with breast cancer. Deirdre shared, “I can’t imagine living through this at such a young age. She survived the disease for another 10 years and died at the age of 42. My aunt lived far from family, so supporting an organization such as Mommy has Breast Cancer makes so much sense. It takes all the worry off of the mother and helps her focus on getting better.”