{"id":8208,"date":"2017-10-06T17:34:56","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T21:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atl.com\/?p=8208"},"modified":"2017-10-09T11:27:45","modified_gmt":"2017-10-09T15:27:45","slug":"hartsfield-jackson-honors-survivors-during-breast-cancer-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.atl.com\/atl\/hartsfield-jackson-honors-survivors-during-breast-cancer-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Hartsfield-Jackson honors survivors during Breast Cancer Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ATL honors survivors during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.\u00a0Sisters By Choice offered complimentary breast exams to uninsured and underinsured ATL employees on Oct. 4 and 23 at the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal.\u00a0 \u00a9 2017 Decisive Moment Events<\/p><\/div>\n

By Anika Robertson
\nSenior Editor\/Assistant Public Relations Manager<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

Shades of pink dotted the International Terminal on Wednesday as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) marked national Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its second annual Survivor Celebration.<\/p>\n

ATL Office of Public Affairs Director Myrna White said we don\u2019t often pair the term \u201ccelebration\u201d with breast cancer. \u201cBut thanks to advances in modern medicine, national campaigns to promote early detection and education, and the life-changing work of groups such as Sisters By Choice, I\u2019m here today to tell you this is a celebration,\u201d said White, who was joined by City of Atlanta first lady Sarah-Elizabeth Langford Reed and dozens of survivors and other dignitaries.<\/p>\n

Back for a second year, local nonprofit Sisters By Choice brought its Mobile Breast Clinic to ATL to provide care to uninsured and underinsured employees for two days this month. Headed by Dr. Rogsbert Phillips-Reed, the organization offers breast examinations, digital mammograms and diagnostic care.<\/p>\n

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. \u201cUnfortunately,\u201d White said, \u201cthousands of individuals will not receive lifesaving screenings and treatment because they either lack access \u2013 or lack the resources \u2013 to obtain quality breast care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breast cancer signage is on display at ATL throughout the month, and many Airport employees distributed pink lanyards.<\/p>\n

Phillips-Reed said her 28-year-old organization celebrates survivorship while remembering those who lost their lives. \u201cThere [are] over 3 million women throughout the United States living after being diagnosed with breast cancer,\u201d Phillips-Reed said. \u201cIt says that we are doing something good about this disease \u2026 we have made progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Survivor Latosha Key McDade, diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28, facilitates the Sisters By Choice Emory Midtown support group. \u201cI use this journey to hold the hands of other women,\u201d the seven-year survivor said. \u201cWhile everyone\u2019s journey is a little different, my purpose \u2026 is to help them get through that journey knowing that there\u2019s light at the end of the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Journalist and former news anchor JaQuitta Williams is celebrating her 10th<\/sup> year of being cancer free. She expressed gratitude for her experience. \u201cIt taught me how to live on purpose,\u201d said the host of TBN\u2019s \u201cJoy In Our Town.\u201d \u201cNo matter what happens,\u201d she said, \u201cevery day is a good day because life is a beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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