\u201cDon\u2019t\nworry, you are too young to have breast cancer,\u201d the doctor told her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\nwas 32\u2014not, as the biopsy later confirmed, too young to have breast cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kelli\nSmith<\/strong>\nwas with her sister Jackie when Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer in the\nearly 1980s. Jackie, too, was told she was \u201ctoo young.\u201d She was 28 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These\nare just two of the many breast cancer-related stories that come out of\nNorthern Arizona University\u2019s Police Department. Other than working in law\nenforcement, they share a common bond of having been directly or indirectly affected\nby this terrible disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One\nin eight women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her\nlifetime. This year, more than 331,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected\nto be diagnosed in women in the U.S. October is designated Breast Cancer\nAwareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the disease and the importance of detecting\nbreast cancer early. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Lori\u2019s case, early\ndetection and an aggressive treatment plan saved her life\u2014she underwent a\ndouble mastectomy, a full year of chemotherapy and multiple\nsurgeries and lived on a diet of pills and medicine that came with debilitating\nside effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, my\nwife lost her hair and she chose to shave it off herself prior to the drugs\ntaking all of it,\u201d said Wright, accreditation manager for NAUPD. <\/em>\u201cShe\nnever really said it, but I believe this was one way she could remain in\ncontrol over the cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nyear later, Lori was declared cancer-free, but she isn\u2019t, and likely never will\nbe, out of the woods. Every six months, she returns to the cancer center for\nscans and bloodwork\u2014each time triggering a series of sleepless nights and the fear\nof her cancer coming back. But even still, Lori is one of the lucky ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Smith\u2019s\nsister was not so lucky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After\na single mastectomy and six months of chemotherapy, Jackie survived and thrived\nfor nearly 30 years. In December 2011, the cancer returned in her remaining\nbreast. Despite chemotherapy, radiation and another mastectomy, she died at the\nage of 58.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\nwish my story stopped there,\u201d said NAUPD Chief Smith. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\n1992, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. And in 2016, her other\nsister Laurie was diagnosed. Both are still fighting, but a cancer-free future remains\nuncertain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe\nfinancial impacts of my mom and two sisters fighting this dreaded disease were\nastounding, but the emotional impact goes beyond words,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She\nbelieves awareness and research are key to finding a cure and one day preventing\nother families from living her nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Determined\nto capitalize on the police community\u2019s shared misfortunes, Smith suggested her\ndepartment participate in the Pink Patch Project\u2014a campaign designed to engage\ncommunity members and raise awareness about the importance of early breast\ncancer detection and treatment by wearing custom pink patches on their uniforms\nduring the month of October. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\nstarted with a few police agencies in 2013 has grown to include several hundred\npartner agencies throughout the world, all working together to raise awareness\nand money for cancer research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have an\namazing team here at NAUPD. People who genuinely care about others and want to\nmake a difference,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWhen the pink patch discussion took place in\nthe fall of 2018, the officers and civilian staff personally donated the money\nto fund the purchase of the pink patches so that no state funds were used to\nbuy them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And\nso, the NAUPD Pink Patch was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\nwill be forever grateful to the family, friends, coworkers and so many other\nsupporters that helped us get through our tough time\u2014this fight can be\nunbearable without it,\u201d Wright said. \u201cThis is why I take part in the Pink Patch\nCampaign. We want to show victims, survivors, affected family and friends that\nNAUPD cares.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officers\nnot only wear the pink patches throughout the month, they sell the patches for\n$10 each and donate the money to cancer research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast\nyear, we raised more than $1,000 for the City of Hope clinical research center, and this year, we hope to\nraise at least $2,000,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due\nto the overwhelming support and positive feedback on social media from the NAU\nand Flagstaff communities, NAUPD plans to introduce a new pink patch design for\nOctober 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wright and Smith would like to remind readers of the importance of self-care. Make sure you are conducting regular Breast Self-Examinations (BSE), in addition to getting a mammogram every one to two years. A downloadable BSE PDF can be found online.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n NAU’s <\/a>Office of Employee Assistance and Wellness<\/a> offers regular Mobile Onsite Mammography (MOM)\u2014a breast cancer screening using digital computer aided detection technology. The next MOM, open to employees and their spouses ages 35 and older, will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, in the southeast corner of the Skydome parking lot. To schedule an appointment, call (800) 285-0272 and have your insurance card on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To purchase a pink patch, stop by the NAUPD office at 550 E. Pine Knoll Drive or visit NAUPD\u2019s table in the Skydome concourse at the Homecoming<\/a> football game. Supplies are limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carly Banks | NAU Communications![\"\"](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0161.jpg\")
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(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"