Two Palm Beach County organizations have a new vehicle for their message of breast cancer awareness.
Palm Tran and Susan G. Komen South Florida rolled out the “Shades of Pink” bus on Thursday, Jan. 11. It features portraits of nine Palm Beach County African-American survivors of breast cancer.
Palm Tran Executive Director Clinton Forbes said the bus could be seen by 124,000 people every day.
“Our mission and hope is that many women, by seeing this bus wrap, will get checked or decide to educate and advocate for the cause,” Forbes said.
African-American and Caucasian women get breast cancer at roughly the same rate. But African-American women are 42 percent more likely to die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. The disparity has existed for many years and has worsened over time.
The “Shades of Pink” bus will be used on major county routes for the next four months.
Breast cancer survivor and Wellington resident Karen Alleyne-Means is featured on the bus.
“This is an opportunity for people to say, ‘Hey, I saw you on the bus. What does that mean?’ And for me to tell my story as to how I was diagnosed,” said. Alleyne-Means. “Even though I was afraid, I’m still here. And they can still be here also.”
The Susan G. Komen organization is spending $27 million on a nationwide initiative to end the disparities in breast cancer outcomes in the African-American community.
The Susan G. Komen South Florida Race for the Cure will hit the streets of West Palm Beach on Jan. 27.
