Hello world!!!
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure organized by its SC Mountains to Midlands Affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina. Volunteers were required to be at the baseball field at 5:45am, so it was a very early start for a Saturday for me, but definitely worth it! It was a very rainy morning and while driving to Greenville that morning, I was a little nervous that the wetness might affect the race, but as the morning proceeded and the event commenced, I realized the wonders of God and that the rain was an indication of showers of blessings. As it is popularly said, "the show must go on!" and that was in full effect; everyone in attendance was full of courage, so rain or shine, they were determined to contribute to breast cancer awareness and celebrating survivors! It was really inspiring to see and be part of this event.
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| Necklace: "Embracing the Amazing" for autism awareness |
As soon as I arrived, I was put straight to work. Woohoo!!! I helped in the registration booth, and handled/sold t-shirts to participants. The registration booth was probably one of the busiest sections, so there were lots of volunteers in our tent. Although it was a little packed than usual, it was ideal to have so many people helping out because there were many types of registrations (5K, competitive runners, 1 mile, strollers, etc.), lots of t-shirts to sell, and also things to buy in support/ raising awareness on breast cancer for supporters/survivors/family members/children/spouses, etc.
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| Supporters/participant t-shirts |
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| Survivor t-shirts |
Unfortunately, I didn't get to get to see the opening ceremonies, hear the speeches, or watch the race start because I was stationed outside the field. However, I believe I was perfectly placed to volunteer at the registration area because I got to see and have little chats with the racers, see their awesome t-shirt designs, hear their stories, and hear the passion in their voices for this cause. One of the many inspirational t-shirts that grabbed my attention is shown in the picture above of this man that came in support of his wife; the caption at the back of the shirt was "Just ask her ex-cancer." I love that he supports the cause, and his wife is a survivor! Later on I captured a very powerful moment with him and his daughter as they watched his wife/her mom on the field walking with the other survivors during the closing ceremonies.
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| Ian and his mom |
While at the registration area, I also met Ian and his mom. Ian is a little shy but such a sweetheart. His mom shared with me that Ian has autism, which made me understand why he was friendly and nervous when he was around me; his mom told me to hold his hand in order to keep him calm and relaxed, and he did when I held him. Raising awareness on autism spectrum disorder and research is something that is very dear to my heart, and when I think back about my encounter with Ian, it truly embodies the saying that "together we can solve the puzzle" when we unite; this applies to ASD, but also to many instances in life. Besides Ian being such a handsome boy, I was also fascinated with him because of his awesome shirt in support of breast cancer awareness; the shirt says "Boys for Boobies." Gotta love it!!!
After all registrations were over, well most of it, most of us the volunteers were dismissed and had the opportunity to walk around, watch the racers on the streets, and also visit the booths of the various vendors. I was very excited about this, and enjoyed talking to many different people, chatting with breast cancer survivors, taking pictures, educating/enlightening people about Sierra Leone and talking about my personal platform as Miss Sierra Leone USA (SHERO), and staying moisturized in the rain.
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Jaymason Mease
Miss South Carolina Princess 2012 (National American Miss System) |
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| Tata Queens |
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Erika Powell
Miss South Carolina USA 2012 |
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| Proud breast cancer survivors |
The reason why I decided to be part of this event is because breast cancer is one of the leading cause of cancer deaths among women, and no woman is immune to this disease but can be fortunate to detect it early. Also, this event relates to three pillars of my personal platform (SHERO) as Miss Sierra Leone USA - Service, Health, and Education. I truly believe in the power of service and volunteering time to the community, and this is a cause that I felt was worth waking up at 4am for, and working in accordance with members of the community in raising awareness on breast cancer. Breast cancer affects anyone's health, women and men, and this is a disease that I along with other girls, boys, women, and men should be aware and knowledgeable about. We must seek education, and be able to detect early signs of breast cancer.
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| Fight like a girl and beat cancer!!! |
Fact: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! This a collaboration of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to services.
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| Oh hey! It's my new friend, Mr. Banana! |
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| Racers cooling off after the run/walk with some delicious snacks and fruits provided by Bi-Lo |
Fact: Breast cancer is a type of cancer where cells in the breast tissue divide and grow without normal control. It is a widespread and random disease, striking women and men of all ages and races. It is the most prevalent cancer in the world today, with about 1.3 million people diagnosed annually. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and at this time, there is no cure.
As a Sierra Leonean woman, breast cancer is an important cause to me because I am aware of the fact that Sierra Leone currently has only one operational mammography unit and no cancer treatment centers capable of providing care other than basic medical care. Cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer among women in Sierra Leone , followed closely by breast cancer (IARC Globocan 2008). Sierra Leone has a population of 1.53 million women ages 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cervical and breast cancer. The unfortunate addition to this fact is that breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment are not available to the public and little research has been done to understand the nature of these cancers in Sierra Leone (
Helping Women In Sierra Leone).
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Cindy
Fierce, breast cancer survivor |
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| Andrea and her awesome shirt design |
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Ellen, Sarah, and Andrea
Racers I got to chat with after they cooled off |
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| Mascots are awesome! |
As I've stated in previous posts, I've got lots of love for people's kids, and this event was not going to be any different. Towards the end of the event, I was assigned to help out in the "Finish" area of the race and to hand out water to racers, but as the event came to a conclusion, I was in the kids' section. It was bound to happen anyway for me to be united with the kids, like I've said before, I'll forever be a 9-year-old girl at heart. I loved seeing the passion in the eyes of the kids and their support for their moms, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, etc. who are living with breast cancer and/or are survivors. These kids were dressed to impress also, in full combat mode to beat cancer. It was entertaining to watch, and the kids also got to receive medals at the end for their participation. I'm so proud of them for waking up so early and full of energy for the cause.
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| Little Miss Kayleigh |
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| Survivor's section |
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| Breast cancer survivors |
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| Precious father-daughter moment |
I had to capture the moment shown in the picture above. This is the man in the picture above wearing the shirt that read "My wife is strong." I took this picture while him and his daughter watched his wife on the field as the "survivors parade" was going on. They were two out of many, including myself, that were in tears during this moment. It was an inspiring and empowering moment seeing the survivors parade on the field holding signs of how long they have been cancer-free. It's a sight that is difficult to explain in words if not seen by one's own eyes.
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| Survivors' parade |
Overall, it was a great event and if I could do this every Saturday morning, I would with no hesitation.I loved the exorbitant support from the Greenville community and all other communities that contributed to the the event's success. Yes, there was a bigger woman presence in attendance, but there was also a good presence of men. This is great because when it comes to this disease, "Men suffer a higher mortality rate than women because they are unaware that they are at risk and discover the cancer at more advanced stages."
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Alayah
We were both fascinated at the fact that we had matching hair pieces |
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Brenton proudly showing off his medal
He was very proud of his 1-mile!!! |
There is currently no known cure for advanced breast cancer, however, there's hope with early detection and treatment. Women and men, please know and pay attention to your body. Do self-examinations on your breasts and/or clinical breast exams. Know your family's history. Know your risks. Have a mammogram, especially if 40 years old and above. Make healthy lifestyle choices. Remember always that health is wealth, wεlbכdi na gεntri.
Ruby B. Johnson
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA
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