STAMFORD -- A stream of pink flowed through downtown Saturday as hundreds of volunteers lined Atlantic Street to raise awareness for breast cancer.
They all wore pink shirts and some went a step further, donning pink pants, hats, bows and headbands. One woman, Karen Sabia, even wore a bright pink wig.
"Beep, beep, beep your horn," Sabia shouted to passing motorists, while holding a sign supporting breast cancer awareness. The Stamford resident was with her friend Lori Longo Legierse, a survivor who will be two years cancer-free in November.
The eighth annual Paint the Town Pink campaign, held by Stamford Hospital's Bennett Cancer Center, kicked off at 10:30 a.m. in Veteran's Park with speeches from Mayor Michael Pavia, WABC-TV's Bill Evans and representatives from the hospital.
"This is my favorite charity," said Evans, a Greenwich resident. "I lost my mother to breast cancer. She was 53 and I was 19. She was a concert pianist. Everybody loved her. I watched cancer cut her in half and kill her."
Back then, Evans said, there wasn't much awareness. If she was diagnosed earlier, he said she would have lived to meet his children. He said he hopes someday there will be a cure.
Helen Pass, co-director of the hospital's breast center, said 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year, but 3 million will survive. "Don't be afraid to get a mammogram," she said. "We can't treat it if we don't know it's there."
After the ceremony, Frank Mastrone sang the "Star-spangled Banner," and hundreds of survivors and supporters took their positions to form a "Mile of Pink" from the park up to the corner, where Atlantic meets Broad Street.
"We just stand and bring awareness to breast cancer," said organizer Michelle Palazzo. "You'll see people get excited as they drive by."
Carol Ienner, a Stamford resident and volunteer, said she was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 years ago and went for treatment at the Bennett Center. "We just like to raise awareness that you can have it, live through treatment and move on," she said.
A unit of 10 members of the U.S. Army joined the cause, including Lestter Thomas, who held a sign that said, "Real Men Wear Pink."
"This is the second year we're doing this event," said Carla Campbell, commander of the unit, based in New Haven. "She asked us about a month ago, and here we are. It's a community event, and that's what we're about -- supporting the community."
A group of students from Westhill High School stood along the street, holding signs that read, "Honk for a Cure," "Be a Bra -- Support Breast Cancer," "Save the Hooters" and "Don't Let Cancer Steal 2nd Base."
Danielle Waring, a teacher at Westhill High School, said she's a cancer survivor and adviser to the students, who take part in several cancer events throughout the year.
The hospital's Mobile Wellness Center, which provides all-digital mammograms for women where they live and work, was parked in Veteran's Park for the morning. But they were not conducting screenings out of the bus Saturday.
Paula Riccardelli, manager of the Mobile Wellness Program, said the unit is mostly for women without insurance. "Mammograms save lives, so we want to screen women in the community and in corporations," she said.
About 2,400 screenings are performed in the unit each year, and about 1,500 of those patients do not have insurance, Riccardelli said. They diagnose a few patients each year and have "definitely saved lots of lives," she said.
Several events will be taking place around the city in October, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including Girls' Night Out with Giuliana Rancic at the Palace Theatre on Oct. 13 and a fashion show at Saks Fifth Avenue on Oct. 17. Rancic is a TV personality who recently survived a bout with breast cancer.
For more information about the upcoming events, go to PaintTheTownPinkStamford.org.
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