The power of pink: Women's Center staff celebrate breast cancer awareness month

Members of the Women's Center staff pose with a pink bus on Oct. 25, 2013
 in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The bus belongs to the
Mobile County Public School System. The Women's Center has been offering
free clinical breast exams to those who qualify on Fridays in October.

MOBILE, Alabama -- The staff at the Women's Center have been wearing pink throughout October in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So when a bright pink bus pulled into the parking lot of the Cox Street location on Friday, Oct. 25, plenty of people wanted to have their photos taken with it.

Inside, dozens of patients were checking in to recieve free breast exams. The bus, courtesy of the Mobile County Public School System, served as a visual reminder that the fight againt breast cancer continues. Breast cancer will strike one in eight women in their lifetimes, medical research shows. But caught in the early stages, chances are good that many women can beat the disease.

More than 100 women have received free clinical breast exams during the month of October at the Women’s Center. The health center offered the free clinical breast exams to those who qualified. Based on income eligibility, patients may qualify for a voucher to get a free mammogram from one of our local hospitals, MCHD staff said.

“It’s important for women older than 40 to have annual clinical breast exams,” said MCHD Health Officer Dr. Bernard Eichold. “Early detection often results in good outcomes.”

Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with a "Rock the Cure" logo, several members of the Women's Center staff took a few moments out of their busy days to take photos in front of the pink bus. Most also climbed aboard for even more photos, clicking images with their cell phones.

The Mobile County Public School System will have the pink bus parked at the Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk on Saturday, Oct. 26 in downtown Mobile. Current and former MCPSS staff effected by the disease are encouraged to have their photo taken with the bus so the school system can share the images on Facebook.