ASOP raises cancer awareness

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo Members of All Shades of Pink recently spoke at Shiloh United Methodist Church's inaugural Tea for Life cancer awareness program. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Denice Whalen-White, founder of All Shades of Pink, was the keynote speaker at Shiloh Community United Methodist Church's inaugural Tea for Life cancer awareness program Oct. 11 in Newburg.

The tea was held to honor cancer survivors from the church's congregation and the surrounding community and to bring a greater awareness of cancer and its effects.

Whalen-White spoke to an audience of more than 100 guests about the importance of breast cancer awareness and introduced the work All Shades of Pink is doing throughout the community.

"Breast cancer knows no age, ethnic group or gender," Whalen-White was quoted in a church press release.

"Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women after heart disease and is a disease that should be addressed proactively and not reactively," she continued

Whalen-White also expressed her viewpoint that "early detection saves lives and provides more options in determining treatment. We must overcome our fear and seek to be informed and act at the first signs of change and I believe it is better to be aware then to be blinded by our fear to not know."

Accompanying Whalen-White were breast cancer survivors Carolyn Barnes and Faith Taylor, several ASOP volunteers, and members of her church, Mount Calvary United Methodist Church in Charlotte Hall.

Whalen-White then spoke about the origins of All Shades of Pink and her desire to form an organization that touched the lives of women battling breast cancer on a more personal basis. She provided everyone in attendance with the All Shades of Pink signature luggage tag.

As a thank-you for her work, the congregation presented Whalen-White with a donation to All Shades of Pink along with a dozen pink and white blankets to bolster the organization's Comfort Blanket program.

"I'm simply overwhelmed with joy at the outpouring of Shiloh Community Church to help support the programs of All Shades of Pink," Whalen-White said in the release.

"I want to thank Patricia Queen, a breast cancer survivor herself, and her committee for coordinating their first cancer awareness tea and I look forward to attending future teas."