A crowd of Lakewood seniors gathered recently at the Leisure Village East community off Route 70, Lakewood, to raise funds and awareness in the battle against breast cancer.
This first-time event was organized by resident Harriet Goldberg, a 34-year breast cancer survivor, and a group of friends and neighbors. The community ballroom was decorated with pink ribbons, paraphernalia with pertinent information on breast cancer prevention, and resources for those afflicted with the disease. A special “Grammies for Mamies” team was formed to encourage women to undergo mammogram screenings, the recommendation of medical professionals.
The event was co-hosted with the American Cancer Society, the beneficiary of residents’ generous donations. Stacy Neglio, Senior Development Manager at the Society, shared a summation of the organization’s services and activities, and highlighted the annual “Making Strides” walk in Point Pleasant Beach as the fourth largest walk of its kind in the entire nation.
“Today, the words ‘You have breast cancer’ mean something else,” Stacy exclaimed. “It’s no longer a death sentence.”
Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles shared that both his mother and sister are breast cancer survivors, and that he is also a cancer survivor. “Anything we can do to eradicate this disease has our full support,” the Mayor said.
Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein likewise expressed his enthusiastic support, vowing, “We come together as a community to end this terrible disease.”
Assemblyman Avi Schnall presented event organizers with an official Proclamation from the NJ State Assembly lauding their efforts, and thanked them for the opportunity to participate in this “amazing” inaugural event.
Following these presentations, several prizes were raffled off to attendees. Then, with music and applause in the background, a group of women in the audience who beat breast cancer rose and walked towards the front of the hall in an inspirational “Survivor Strut.”
Indeed – thanks to a coalition of brave warriors – the battle against breast cancer is more victorious than ever.
