Reason nominated: Educating teenage girls about breast cancer
Who benefits: Girls, women and their families
Lesson that can be learned: Raising awareness lifts and supports everyone.
A group of Fayette County women challenges breast cancer survivors to step outside their comfort zones and release their inner biker babes.
Cancer takes control of your body, but women must take back control, said Cathy Gailey, 44, co-founder of Bikers Riding for Awareness (BRA), a group of leather-clad, motorcycle-riding breast cancer survivors who promote awareness and educate teenage girls about the disease. Only two of the 10 group members had previous motorcycle riding experience before joining.
Gailey was diagnosed at age 33 in 1997 and underwent a mastectomy followed by six months of aggressive chemotherapy. A year later, the motorcycle admirer straddled the back of a friend's bike for the first time, releasing a lifetime of inhibitions. She enrolled in a safety class and bought a bike.
"Once you've conquered breast cancer, you can overcome any fear," said the Fayetteville Realtor, who rides with her husband, who also owns a bike, and their two children. "You're free to do what you want to do."
Similarly, BRA encourages women and teenage girls to take control of their lives, their health and their fears. The group rides into high schools during October to promote self-exams and early detection among younger women, as many of its members were diagnosed in their 30s after discovering their own lumps.
"It's a scary disease, but knowledge is power," said Sheri Waynick, 47, a co-founder diagnosed at age 37. The Peachtree City resident had a lumpectomy, followed by a year of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. The lengthy question-and-answer sessions that follow the group's presentations indicate that young girls are starving for the education, she said.
"Once women know what to do, they can save their life," Waynick said.
Since it launched in 2007, BRA members have addressed about 1,700 11th- and 12th-grade girls during assemblies and breakfast sessions at high schools in counties such as Spalding, Coweta and Rockdale.
Each member takes a week of vacation from their job for the annual high school tour. BRA also raises money for the Atlanta 2-Day Walk and plans to extend its awareness efforts throughout the year toward its goal of recruiting enough survivors to educate girls at all high schools in Georgia.
The motorcycles grab attention, but the information resonates with the students, said Sadrena Mattox, 36, a two-time breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2003 and again in 2006 when she was three months pregnant. She endured a round of chemotherapy, followed by a month-early delivery and a second round of chemotherapy and radiation. Her story surprises many girls who did not realize that women can develop breast cancer while pregnant, said the College Park resident.
"That's why we're out there to promote the word," she said.
BRA membership is not limited to Fayette residents, and non-riding breast cancer survivors can join Underwire, a spinoff group that will support BRA members during school presentations.
Another group, Straps, includes survivors of other cancers who provide logistical support.
For more information, call 770-716-7956 or visit www.bikersridingforawareness.org.
WHO DESERVES A CARROT?
Fortune 500 companies are not the only ones bringing people together to promote health and fitness. Neighborhood groups, offices, schools and churches also are finding ways to get people moving and to encourage a healthier lifestyle. In this regular feature, Better Health recognizes those organized efforts, large and small, that might inspire other groups to initiate their own programs. And we want to hear about them. Submit your Golden Carrot nominations to betterhealth@ajc.com.
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution