Pink Party saves woman with breast cancer in Palm Coast

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

The following is a release from Florida Hospital Flagler:

PALM COAST — Although she only knew one friend at the party, attending a Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler Pink Army party last October may have saved Linda Johnson’s life.

While visiting friend April Brower in Palm Coast, 63-year-old Johnson attended a “Pink Party,” a “mission” in Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler’s Pink Army campaign.

Launched in the fall of 2010, Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler’s Pink Army campaign was aimed at enlisting individuals to help create greater awareness about the life-saving benefits of annual mammograms and early detection, all while having fun with friends and family.

“Soldiers” enlisted in the Pink Army were able to move up the ranks and earn free rewards by performing different missions, such as enlisting additional soldiers, volunteering, attending events and hosting Pink Parties. These parties were small gatherings hosted by soldiers that informally and intimately educated women on the importance of early detection when fighting the second most common form of cancer found in women.

Johnson admits she was not as educated about breast cancer as she should have been.

“I was under the impression that if you get breast cancer, you die,” Johnson said. “But by going to this party, hearing someone’s personal story, I realized that just wasn’t true. I realized the importance of early detection.”

At the party, she confessed to other partygoers that she was not dutiful about getting her annual screening mammograms, and it was not unusual for her to wait several years between mammograms. Upon hearing this, a breast cancer survivor at the party shared her story with Johnson and encouraged her to get her annual mammogram. Her words stuck with Johnson and echoed in her thoughts for months.

Several months later, she decided to schedule her annual screening mammogram, and in March 2011, Johnson was diagnosed with Stage 1, estrogen-receptive breast cancer.

“It had not spread to my lymph nodes, and my doctors say I have an excellent prognosis,” Johnson said. “But it was very unusual for me to go in for my mammogram so soon, so I know going to that Pink Party truly made a difference.”

Johnson said the intimate, relaxed environment made it easier to talk about such a frightening subject.

“You hear stories about breast cancer, but you always think that the story is someone else’s — that it happened to them and it won’t happen to me,” she said. “But there is something about sitting next to someone, sharing hors’ d'oeuvres with them, and having them tell you their personal story and encourage you to just go to do it (get an annual screening mammogram).”

Now Johnson is armed with more knowledge about breast cancer than ever and says that taking an unconventional approach to educating women can help them to hear the message.

“There is a fine line between scaring people and educating people,” she said. “At the Pink Party, you are standing right there with a friend, not a medical person in a white coat, scaring you. Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler’s Pink Party made all the difference in my diagnosis because I don’t know if I would have gone to get my mammogram as soon, and then my diagnosis might have been different.”