Published on September 20, 2019

Downtown Goes Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

When Erin Fonseca was in high school, she watched her grandmother undergo her battle with breast cancer. Today, as Marketing and Events Manager for the Downtown Department of the city of Goldsboro, she’s proud to be part of a partnership with Wayne UNC Health Care to advocate for women across our community to complete their annual mammogram.

Through this partnership Downtown Goldsboro merchants will “Go Pink” for breast cancer awareness throughout the month of October, filling storefronts with pink décor and encouraging employees to wear pink throughout the month. “We’re thrilled to be part of this,” said Fonseca. “Any collective effort to bring breast cancer to the forefront of everyone’s minds – we want to be part of it in any way that we can.”

For Fonseca, the effort is close to her heart and mind. Her grandmother survived her breast cancer journey, and her mother is a colon cancer survivor. “If we can just encourage one person to get their mammogram, it will be worth all the effort we are putting into this campaign.”

In fact, an estimated one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes – a reminder Wayne UNC and downtown merchants will spray-chalk onto city streets throughout Downtown Goes Pink.

Downtown Goes Pink is part of expanded collaboration between the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. and Wayne UNC Health Care, culminating in the corporation nominating Wayne UNC for its Most Valuable Supporter Award.

The campaign is also a lead-up to Wayne UNC's breast cancer awareness and women's health event, Be Kind Her, which will be held 6 p.m. Mon., Nov. 4 at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets are $10, with proceeds supporting the Wayne Memorial Hospital Foundation funding for women’s health services in our community.

The event will feature keynote speaker Nicole J. Phillips, breast cancer survivor, host of The Kindness Podcast and author of two books, Kindness is Contagious and Kindness is Courageous. Phillips champions using kindness to overcome all of life’s difficulties.

“Cancer is a reality in the lives of many people in our community, whether it’s touched them personally or touched the life of a family member or close friend,” said Fonseca. “Our partnership with Wayne UNC is an opportunity for us to get behind the effort to make sure our loved ones are getting the care they need. We’re hopeful we can be part of that one in eight who fights cancer and wins.”