Tag Archive for: #pinkwithapassion

TownTalk: Pink With A Passion Holds Cancer Survivor Walk This Saturday

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The third “Pink With A Passion” Walk will be held Saturday, Apr. 20 at the Warren County Recreation Complex on U.S. 158 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Organizers Amena Wilson and Elaine Tunstall-Smith invite the community to come out to the event to celebrate cancer survivors and to support others who may be facing their own battles with the disease.

When Wilson faced her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, she wanted to do something positive to show her appreciation for the support she had received – a way to embrace the “pay it forward” attitude.

So she organized a walk. Now, in year three, Wilson and others have joined forces to create a day filled with healthy activities, food trucks, music and more – even a mammogram bus that will offer free mammograms.

“We are a breast cancer organization, but we serve all types of cancer,” Wilson said. This year’s theme is “We’re Stronger Together and Better In Unity.”

“We’re looking forward to joining the community…trying to (boost) awareness for healthy living,” said Tunstall-Smith. “It’s our way of giving back.”

Tunstall-Smith said she and Wilson have been friends and classmates, so she was quick to volunteer when Pink With A Passion was formed. “I felt so fulfilled,” she said, of that volunteer experience, “I felt like I was doing something for the community, my church, my God.” That’s when she jumped in with both feet.

Pink With A Passion “is about people and how we can be of assistance to people in a medical crisis,” Tunstall-Smith continued.

Wilson said the organization will make a $2,000 donation to Maria Parham Health’s Cancer Center, which will, in turn, share with cancer patients who need help to pay for gas to get to treatments, medicine and more while they are receiving care.

The reason for the event is a serious one – cancer and its effects on families and caregivers – but Saturday’s walk will provide a chance for celebration and community fellowship as well.

Tunstall-Smith said she hoped to see a good turnout to the event – bring your lawn chairs and expect to have an enjoyable day among friends and supporters.

Pink With A Passion has developed a reputation for being a support system for cancer patients, who need only to call on one of the volunteers if they need help with anything from getting a prosthesis to a ride to the doctor, Tunstall-Smith said – any type of assistance “to let them feel they are not in the battle by themselves.”

Come for the camaraderie, come for the information, come for the exercise by taking a few laps around the track or come for the giveaways, Wilson said. Just come out to show support for those who are battling cancer themselves, or who are caring for a loved one with cancer.

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The Local Skinny! Pink With A Passion Fish Fry Fundraiser Is This Saturday

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Join Pink With A Passion founder Amena Wilson Saturday, Oct. 14 at a fish plate fundraiser and festival at Warren County Middle School.

They’ll be serving plates from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – eat in or take out – Wilson said. But fish isn’t the only item on the day’s menu, she said.

Numerous vendors will be on hand with items from jewelry to cosmetics and plenty of fair-style foods from food trucks for grownups and children to enjoy.

Stop in for fish, but stay awhile and enjoy the festival, Wilson said.

There also will be nurse practitioners on hand to share information about breast cancer awareness.

The goal is to sell 1,000 plates, and Wilson said they are well on their way to meeting that goal. Tickets are $10 each. Proceeds from the event go to help cancer patients at Maria Parham Health with costs associated with their treatment, she said.

Send checks to Pink With A Passion, P.O. Box 315, Warrenton, NC 27589. To learn more, contact Wilson at 252.213.5735.

 

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The Local Skinny! Pink With A Passion Cancer Walk

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The second “Pink With A Passion” cancer walk planned for Saturday, April
15 in Warren County grew out of one woman’s desire to pay it forward. And Amena Wilson wants to see all the colors of cancer represented. This year’s theme, in fact, is “Fight cancer in all colors,” Wilson told John C. Rose during Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!.

“We are celebrating all types of cancer survivors,” Wilson said. “It’s going to be a day with great meaning,” she added, filled with music, testimonies and encouragement for anyone whose lives have been touched by cancer.

Wilson is president of the nonprofit group, which she founded after a 2017 breast cancer diagnosis – thus, the color in the organization’s name.
Wilson said she hopes there will be all colors associated with particular cancers present for the event, which will be held at the Warren County Rec Complex from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It’s going to be “a day of celebration for patients, survivors, caregivers,” Wilson said. There will be food trucks and vendors, as well as music and other entertainment throughout the day.

Walkers are encouraged to wear whatever color represents the cancer that has affected them or loved ones they’ve cared for. “It’s going to be a day with great meaning,” she said.

This event is NOT a fundraiser, Wilson emphasized; rather, it’s just a small way to show support and encouragement to cancer patients and to survivors.

And it’s not just for Warren County residents – “we welcome anybody, near and far…we would love to have you,” Wilson said.

Wilson can be contacted at 252.213.5735 to learn more.

Here are some common cancers and their colors:

Lung cancer: white
Brain cancer: grey
Breast cancer: pink
Liver cancer: emerald green
Lymphoma: lime green
Prostate cancer: light blue
Stomach cancer: periwinkle blue
Bone cancer: yellow
Leukemia: orange
Skin: black
Colon: dark blue

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TownTalk: Pink With Passion Focus On Cancer Survivors

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The second “Pink With A Passion” cancer walk planned for Saturday, April 15 in Warren County grew out of one woman’s desire to pay it forward.

Amena Wilson is president of the nonprofit group, which she founded after a 2017 breast cancer diagnosis – thus, the color in the organization’s name.

But Wilson told John C. Rose that she hopes there will be all colors associated with particular cancers present for the event, which will be held at the Warren County Rec Complex from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It’s going to be “a day of celebration for patients, survivors, caregivers,” Wilson said on Wednesday’ TownTalk. There will be food trucks and vendors, as well as music and other entertainment throughout the day.

Walkers are encouraged to wear whatever color represents the cancer that has affected them or loved ones they’ve cared for. “It’s going to be a day with great meaning,” she said.

This event is NOT a fundraiser, Wilson emphasized; rather, it’s just a small way to show support and encouragement to cancer patients and to survivors.

And it’s not just for Warren County residents – “we welcome anybody, near and far…we would love to have you,” Wilson said.

Interested in being a vendor? There’s still time, Wilson said. Call her at 252.213.5735 to learn more.

Here are some common cancers and their colors:

  • Lung cancer: white
  • Brain cancer: grey
  • Breast cancer: pink
  • Liver cancer: emerald green
  • Lymphoma: lime green
  • Prostate cancer: light blue
  • Stomach cancer: periwinkle blue
  • Bone cancer: yellow
  • Leukemia: orange
  • Skin: black
  • Colon: dark blue

 

 

TownTalk: Pink With A Passion Hosting Walk For Cancer Awareness, Survivors

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Join Pink With A Passion on Saturday, April 9 at the Warren County Recreation Complex for a walk to celebrate cancer survivors and to honor the memories of loved ones whose lives cancer has claimed.

Amena Wilson, president of Pink With A Passion, and Elaine White, vice-president, invite the public to come out to show support for all those who are battling the disease.

“We’ve been trying since 2020 to have it,” Wilson told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. “We are so excited to be able to bring forth this walk,” Wilson said.

The event is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and there will be food trucks, a deejay and the local high school band present to provide entertainment. “There are so many fun activities planned,” Wilson said. Bring a lawn chair and stay for a fun-filled day, she added.

In addition to the three-mile walk, there also will be a ceremony to honor cancer survivors, who also are invited to take part in a survivors’ lap and be recognized by the crowd.

The event is not a fundraiser; rather, an opportunity to give back to the community, Wilson said, and to bring awareness to cancer patients. There will be PWAP t-shirts on sale, however.

White said she and Wilson decided to continue the fundraising efforts to help those battling cancer after they had some leftover money from when Wilson went through treatment of breast cancer after a 2018 diagnosis.

They helped White’s sister when she underwent treatment and just decided to keep it going after that.

“It makes me feel awesome – great – for doing this,” White said. Sometimes, when people’s spirits are low, it’s important to get everyone together and just make them feel good, she said.

This walk and other planned activities is a way to do just that, she said. “It’s something to encourage everybody,” she said.

Future events that Pink With A Passion plans include a Rainbow Luncheon in June. This is another “give back,” Wilson said. There will be limited seating for the free luncheon, she said, which is designed to show a little love to cancer patients and a guest of their choice. “We’ll have sit-down luncheon, encourage them and lift their spirits,” White explained.

A wellness clinic scheduled for October in conjunction with another awareness dinner, will be another fundraiser event for Pink With A Passion.

Visit www.pinkwithapassion.org, call Wilson at 252.213.5735 or White at 243.983.7476 for more information.

 

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TownTalk: Pink With A Passion Helps Victims Of Breast Cancer

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What started out as a simple act of neighbor helping neighbor has had a ripple effect to spread kindness – and donations of money and care boxes – to cancer patients.

Pink With A Passion is the grassroots brainchild of Amena Wilson, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. When she reached out to her neighbor Carlotta Woodard to help with an event, Woodard went from kindly neighbor to hard-working volunteer for Pink With A Passion.

Woodard officially becomes a cancer survivor on Sunday, when she celebrates her 10-year anniversary of being cancer-free.

The group serves the four-county area and recently donated $2,000 to Maria Parham Health’s  Cancer Center in observance of breast cancer awareness month. The money is available for any particular needs a patient may have, whether it’s transportation, helping make a copay or other medical costs. The women spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk.

In addition to the cash donations, they take care boxes to be distributed to patients, either at the hospital’s cancer center or to other individuals they may know about who are dealing with cancer.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered somewhat their ability to get out in the community to raise awareness and money. Not to be deterred, a raffle fundraiser that ran from March 1 to May 1 netted close to $13,000.

Raising money and redistributing it to people in need is what Pink With A Passion is all about.

The pink, of course, is the color associated worldwide with breast cancer, Wilson said. The “passion” part of their name is a nod to what fuels the group’s desire to help.

“We find people we know who are dealing with cancer,” Wilson said. “We reach out and give to them – whatever we can do to help. We give to others.”

Wilson said the idea for the group was born from her own efforts to help defray the expenses associated with her own diagnosis. She organized a fish plate fundraiser and said it was so successful she decided to keep it going.

“I was so overwhelmed,” she said of the support she got from the community. “There was so much love, passion and support show, I decided to do it for other people.”

And the simple act of asking a neighbor to join her effort has paid dividends. Woodard said she was eager to be a part of a support system for others through Pink With A Passion, mainly because of its vision for helping others.

Woodard knew all too well the importance of having a support system; she said she was blessed to have a strong support system as she faced her diagnosis head on. An annual mammogram detected her Stage 1 cancer and because it was caught early, a mastectomy and a chemo pill therapy was her treatment.

“I didn’t have a lump,” Woodard said, who added she has a family history of breast cancer. “If it weren’t for a mammogram, I wouldn’t even know I had cancer.”

She said she is sporting pink hair for the month of October, in said she is so excited to celebrate her 10-year anniversary of being cancer-free.

Wilson said she thanks God for allowing her to find a lump in her breast – it was detected at an early stage as well. Early detection is THE key for beating breast cancer, both women said. But going through treatments with a positive mindset, as little stress as possible, exercise and a healthy diet all contribute to a patient’s restored health.

In addition to caring for your physical well-being while undergoing treatment, Wilson said it is critical to have someone accompany you to doctor’s appointments. Taking notes and having a second set of ears to hear what a physician is discussing about your case is so important. “Knowledge is so important when you’re going through cancer,” Wilson said.

To learn more, find the group on Facebook, contact the organization via email at Pinkwithapassion_7@yahoo.com or Wilson at 252. 213. 5735.

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