Heroes ‘N Heels needs a few good men to fight breast cancer
By Kyle LoJacono
Without a mammogram, Vivian Noland probably would not be alive today.
“In December of 2009, I noticed that my right breast had some redness, so I decided to go for a mammogram,” Noland said. “The mammogram report informed me that I needed to have a biopsy. I had no insurance and didn’t know what I was going to do. A dear friend told me about the Breast Care Center at (University Community Hospital), and I went there not knowing what was going to happen.”
When she got to University Community Hospital (UCH) she met breast center clinical navigator and Lutz resident Theresa Winsey.
“She was embarrassed because she couldn’t pay for her treatment,” Winsey said. “With the economy being the way it is and people losing their jobs, we’re finding more and more people without insurance. That’s why Heroes ‘N Heels is so important to us because we don’t want to tell people we can’t help them.”
The event started three years ago and has raised nearly $150,000 to give free mammograms to women without health insurance, according to UCH spokesman Will Darnall. He said every $100 raised by the event is another free mammogram for women who would not otherwise get one.
Winsey said other services also are provided with the money for those women. She said neither she nor anyone in her family has had the disease, but she faces it on a daily basis and has seen how the program has helped save lives.
“We’ve diagnosed nine or 10 with breast cancer from the free mammograms last year alone, so the donations really do make a difference in detection,” Winsey said. “… It’s very important to start getting tested because younger women are getting it. I have two women right now who are under the age of 40 being treated for cancer. Yearly screenings save lives.”
Despite the amount of money raised during the last few years, Darnall said “the well has run dry” and to continue to offer the free service, they need community support at the event.
To participate, men need to either donate or get people to donate money to sponsor their walk, which goes around the campus at UCH and the LifeHope building that houses the Breast Care Center. The event starts at 9 a.m. Oct. 2 at 3100 Fletcher Ave with registration at 8 a.m.
While it is advertised as “walking a mile in her shoes,” the actual trek is much shorter, but the catch is the men have to do it in high heels.
“I’ve noticed over the years the husbands and partners of women with breast cancer usually feel very helpless because they think they can’t do anything,” Winsey said. “This is a way to help in the fight. We don’t care how much people want to donate. We’ll take $5 because every little bit helps.”
Last year 60 men participated and Winsey expects about 75 this year. One of those walking is UCH vice president of human resources Jim Hackman. He said there are two main reasons he joined in.
“For one certainly it’s the right thing to do, and two my wife (Terra) is a breast cancer survivor,” Hackman said. “It’s been 12 years. So every opportunity I have to help in the fight against breast cancer I do it.”
It will not be the first time Hackman has worn high heels, but that is only because he has participated in the event the last three years.
“I have a whole new respect for women at this time every year because this is about the most painful thing that you can do to your feet,” Hackman said. “I have to be very careful to stay away from the cracks in the pavement so I don’t break a heel and I usually finish in the back of the pack.
Winsey said her husband, Paul, will also be in the walk, as are a lot of his friends.
“The day after the first time he did it his calves were killing him,” Winsey said. “He could hardly feel his feet. He’s a huge advocate for this though and gets everyone he knows to join in. He sees how it helps people.”
The pain is worth it to help women like Noland.
“I am most grateful for the love and attention that I received from the Breast Care Center, knowing that I did not have any insurance or money to pay for my care,” Noland said. “They treated me like I was a part of their family.”
To sign up for the walk or for more information, call Nikki Powers at (813) 615-7663 or e-mail . People can also show up with donations the day of the event.
If you go
What: Heroes ‘N Heels
Where: UCH’s Breast Care Center, 3100 Fletcher Ave.
When: Oct. 2 from 8 to 10 a.m.
To register: (813) 615-7663,
