CedarBridge speed bumps tickled pink
Students and staff at CedarBridge Academy added some colour to campus speed bumps to raise awareness of breast cancer.
Visual arts teacher Tona Landy and her drawing and painting class painted three speed bumps around the school’s roundabout pink, while other staff members Lisza Pitcher and McLaren Lowe helped students design breast cancer stickers and apply them to the structures.
CedarBridge acting principal Natasha Thomas said a member of the school’s breast cancer awareness committee thought of painting the speed bumps to highlight the topic.
She explained: “It’s also something that’s highly visible and it was a great thing that came out of that committee.”
Ms Landy, who lost her own mother to breast cancer nine months ago, said the painting project helped her through the grieving process.
She said: “It helped me feel like I’m not alone when it comes to breast cancer … it’s important for me that women go out there and get their mammograms, because early detection is best for them.”
Ms Landy added that those whose loved ones are battling cancer can seek support through counselling and organisations such as Pals.
Ms Thomas said the school plans to keep the speed bumps decorated as they are until at least the end of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and possibly make the project an annual initiative.
Joseff DaCosta-Zuill, an S4 pupil who worked with other students on the project, said: “We painted the speed bumps to show awareness about the negative effects [breast] cancer has all over the world, males and females. It was very simple and we enjoyed it.”
Delivering a message ahead of National Mammography Day on October 16, Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, said that early detection is the strongest defence against the disease and that regular mammograms can “identify changes in breast tissue long before symptoms appear, increasing treatment options and improving outcomes”.
Ms Wilson said the fact that breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Bermuda “underscores the importance of routine screening, self-awareness and timely medical consultations when concerns arise”.
She added: “Evidence shows that mammograms can detect abnormalities years before they may be felt during a self-examination, making regular screening an essential component of preventive healthcare.”
Ms Wilson said: “Knowing your family history, performing regular self-checks, and seeking medical advice when something does not seem right are all important steps that can save lives.”
CedarBridge’s breast cancer awareness committee is organising several other initiatives this month, including a pink grub day, a bake sale and education events, to spread the word and raise money for the Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre.
Ms Thomas said: “One thing that is great about this committee is that we have been exposing students to it, so it’s not something that lives in the adult spaces.”
The events have raised about $700 so far, but Devina Butterfield, CedarBridge’s office manager and breast cancer awareness committee chairwoman, expects that number to double by the end of the month.
Ms Butterfield has led the committee for the past three years and recalled two former colleagues, Janet Le Page and Helena LaVerne Eve, who died from cancer.
She said: “October is always a special month for us at CedarBridge as we do these things to honour their memory.”
You must be Registered or to post comment or to vote.
