There's nothing funny about breast cancer. But that doesn't mean that raising awareness of this killer disease can't be fun. That's the point of the Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth Bra Art Competition.
The event began three years ago as the brainchild of Dana McGuirk, Breast Health Nurse Navigator at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. She was trying to come up with a fun idea for Breast Cancer Awareness month - that's October each year. The idea is for survivors to tell their stories or for people to honor someone they love by decorating a bra. A panel of celebrity judges will rank the entries.
"This year, we are turning it up a notch and having a wine reception during the unveiling," she said. That's scheduled Oct. 16, 5:30-7:30 p.m., in the Kupferle Comprehensive Breast Center in the Klabzuba Tower on the Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth campus, 1300 W. Terrell Ave. The event is free and open to the public.
"Being involved with breast cancer patients and knowing how cancer can overwhelm you, I thought it would be a good way for people to tell their stories through the creation of "Bra Art," " she said. "You would be amazed at what people create. Some are beautiful, some are funny, and some are so inspirational."
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer, says the American Cancer Society. The organization predicts that in 2014 about 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. Another 62,570 new cases of carcinoma in situ - non-invasive and the earliest form of breast cancer - will be diagnosed. And about 40,000 women will die from breast cancer. But it is not just women. ACS estimates about 2,360 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men this year and 430 will die from breast cancer.
"Cancer silences people," says McGuirk. "It buries their stories. Creative arts help people reclaim their voices and honor what they think and feel. A part of the healing process is being able to get that out."
