Hamilton County EMS Staff Raises Money for Maryellen Locher Breast Cancer Center

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Hamilton county Emergency Medical Services is getting a head start by launching its own program to raise awareness and money for treatment.

Their campaign requires a change in the basic uniforms they wear.

The people who come to your rescue when you need them the most—will be wearing pink for the next few weeks.

The Hamilton county Emergency Medical Service folks are wearing pink shirts they designed, printed and are selling.

They want to spread the word about early detection of breast cancer.

 “We have had a lot of people with in our service who have been touched by breast cancer . But we also want to just make the community aware that its out there, –with all types of cancers,” says Lee H. Butcher, an HCEMS Paramedic.

The money raised from the sale of the shirts will go to the MaryEllen Locher Center at CHI memorial hospital. Breast cancer can affect anyone–even the staff there.

Beth Stubblefield is a Radiologic Technologist at CHI Memorial. She says,  “Last November, I was having my screening mammogram and there was an area detected in my left breast..it was caught early and so I’ve had surgery, gone through all my treatment and I’m well, and whole and feel great.”

Lisa Carlile is also a Radiologic Technologist. “When I was diagnosed, totally different walking in those shoes and I think its very helpful now because I can really relate with my patients…I’ve seen if from the family standpoint, from friends standpoint and from personally experiencing it,” said Carlile.

The staff at the center was glad to hear about the EMS campaign.

“That was great..to see that they were getting involved and supporting us…and coming out, it just means a lot,” said Stubblefield.

And the other message is, of course, you don’t have to wait until breast cancer awareness month to take action.

“It was, yes, brand new from last year’s mammogram, which shows how important it is that we routinely do our mammograms every 12 months…and because it was caught so early it was very treatable,” said Carlile.

If you’d like to purchase one of the shirts, contact anyone at the Emergency Medical Services stations located all over town.