Campaign supporters and football fans sported pink shirts, hats, pants, shoes, socks, hair and even pastel pooches in an effort to flood Aggie Memorial Stadium in a sea of pink for Saturday's football game, where NMSU faced off against Idaho. The football team capped off the day with a 31-24 win, stopping the Vandals inside the 5-yard line in the closing seconds.
Under the shade of tents decorated with pink streamers and balloons, tailgater Annette Alvarez was hoping for an Aggie win over the Idaho Vandals and for a victory for those battling breast cancer. Joined by her husband, Ramon Alvarez, and dozens of her friends and family members, she said, "We've always come to the (Tough Enough to Wear Pink) game every year, but we've never gone all out like we did this year."
The group created posters to look like jerseys bearing the names of loved ones who have battled breast cancer and also whipped up a feast of pink treats to enjoy during their pre-game celebration.
Wearing a pink shirt and feathered pink sandals, Alvarez said she also incorporated pink cowboy hats where passersby could donate money to the campaign along with brochures about early breast cancer detection.
"Women don't realize
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how important it is to have a mammogram. It's uncomfortable, sure, but it's so necessary," she said.
"Cancer is one of those things that touches everyone's life in one way or another. My sister had it, my grandmother had it," Ramon Alvarez said. "It's a great cause to support and we're all having fun doing it."
Even the Alvarezes' Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, showed its support for the cause Saturday, donning pink fur and nails. "He's been a real hit among the tailgating crowd," Annette Alvarez said.
Since 2007, NMSU Aggies Are Tough Enough To Wear Pink has presented more than $1.1 million in contributions to its partner organization, Cowboys for Cancer Research. Last year, the Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign raised $506,939 in donations. That figure made the Las Cruces campaign the top fundraiser in the world for Tough Enough to Wear Pink.
This year's total of $548,166 was announced during halftime of Saturday's game.
Cowboys for Cancer Research, a local nonprofit organization, set out to fight breast cancer almost 30 years ago in honor of Alma Cohorn, who died of the disease. The organization has grown to host New Mexico's largest cancer fundraiser each year in October.
All money invested in the Cowboys for Cancer Research endowment stays in New Mexico to help support cancer research being conducted at NMSU and the University of New Mexico.
This year, Cowboys for Cancer Research established a $1.5 million endowment to support cancer research at NMSU.
In addition to raising money to support breast cancer research, the Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign also raises awareness of the disease throughout Las Cruces and engages the community through educational programs, free mammograms and other events promoting early detection and intervention.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer for women in New Mexico, according to the state Tumor Registry. About 100 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in Do-a Ana County alone every year, according to the Tough Enough to Wear Pink website.
Rita Romero, who also supported the campaign during Saturday's tailgating event, knows all too well the impact that breast cancer has on women and their families.
"Cancer is, unfortunately, very prevalent in my family," she said. "My sister died from breast cancer when she was 27, and I've lost aunts to cancer."
Plenty of information, such as “what to do the day of surgery,” is readily available. Some of these major websites also have thousands of discussion boards, many of them splintering into local meet-ups.
“Support groups help validate your experience,” said Selma Schimmel, founder of Vital Options International, a cancer communications and advocacy organization. She is also a breast cancer survivor and author of the book, “Cancer Talk.”
Schimmel believes breast cancer patients who attend support groups have an easier time and survive longer because they get positive energy and up-to-date information during what can be an emotional tidal wave. Groups are a great place to learn about side effects, clinical trials and trends with treatment, she said.
Specialized support groups are also plentiful. Mothers Support Daughters with Breast Cancer was founded in 1995 by mom Charmayne Dierk and daughter Lillie Shockney in Washington, DC. Their organization, which has local resources, has helped more than 10,000 women.
Men Against Breast Cancer offers online resources to men who want to support women in their lives with breast cancer. Survivors are the heart of another group, SHARE, which offers support to women in and around New York City who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
Tobey Young of Oceanside, NY, started a support group on Long Island after feeling that she didn’t have the support she needed after her mastectomy
Previvors and Survivors offers a forum, shopping and carpooling services, meal delivery and other services for patients and their families.
“My experience made me want to help others,” she said.
While many breast cancer resources are just a click away, some patients get support much closer to home, from people who aren’t even affiliated with breast cancer groups.
Tammy Wacker of Altamonte Springs, FL, was diagnosed with breast cancer while her two children were in preschool.
Wacker’s Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group jumped in to offer play dates, prayers, notes and time. One mom went to Wacker’s doctor appointments with her to take notes.
“A MOPS mom brought two bags of groceries to my house – fun, fancy stuff that I would never buy myself,” she said.
Her husband, Don Wacker, needed support, too. He was astonished to find out his young wife had breast cancer, and he embraced anyone he could find who had experience with the disease.
“I will never forget when I asked a friend how long his wife had been bald,” he said. “He responded, ‘I don’t remember.’ I realized he didn’t care and it hadn’t affected his relationship. That alleviated one of my major concerns.”
Other moms from the group gave Wacker a portable DVD player. “Don and I watched funny movies while I received chemo. It made the time go by so much faster, and we had fun while we were there.”
The Wackers said they found people wanted to help them and they had to figure out how to accept the help. Her advice? “Accept all gifts of love.”
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