|
|
 |
|
ARTICLE
Helping out has special meaning for Starks
Monday, October 15, 2007
By
Teresa Varley The
Steelers are once again taking an active role in breast cancer awareness month,
with players hosting events for the fight against the disease as well as the
team doing their part. Offensive
tackle Max Starks and his mother Elleanor are hosting Hot Pink Pittsburgh, an
event that raises
funds to provide breast and cervical cancer screening for uninsured women in
Western Pennsylvania. For Starks, getting involved in an event like this is a no-brainer as his mother is a breast cancer survivor. “One of the things is not just being responsible as a role model here in the community, but it’s something personal for me,” said Starks. “My mother is a 15-year breast cancer survivor. As a child, going through that with my mother, I saw how tough that was. “You want to be able to prevent everybody else from going through it and get them to be more proactive getting their check-ups. A lot of women don’t like going to the doctor for check-ups. They put it off. If there is something there hopefully they can get it taken care of before it reaches the more advanced stages where it can become incurable.”
“I am trying to encourage people to get more screenings like what Hot Pink Pittsburgh represents and trying to make it more affordable for women,” said Starks. “If it has affected you personally you are more enticed to do it. If I can hopefully be a mouthpiece or spokesperson to encourage people to be screened or get others to get family members to get checked then I am doing my job. Hopefully it does make a difference in somebody’s life and they don’t have to go through what I went through.” Starks couldn’t be prouder than to be at the event with his mom and have her as an example of being a survivor. “It’s
a living testimony. That’s what makes it more viable and valid,” said Starks. “I
am not doing this event because someone asked me to. I have the person right
there I am speaking for because she took the proper precautions and got checked
out early enough. Hopefully people will see my mother there and that she beat it
and fought it and is here 15 years later to talk about it. Starks was one of many NFL players who used a pink Gatorade towel on the sideline during games the first weekend in October, as the NFL has also taken an active role in the fight against breast cancer. “I think it’s come a long way,” said Starks. “Even though you have these huge, macho guys, we were all raised by our mothers. For guys watching the games now they can call their mom and say did you get checked or screened. You reach millions of people through the football games. You reach people you don’t reach in other avenues. I think having it on the sidelines is really important.” * * *
October is breast cancer awareness month. During the month the Steelers will be selling a specially designed t-shirt in their Sideline Stores and Online Store. The net proceeds from the sale of the shirt will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Steelers also will be wearing denim one day during the month to show their support and raise funds for research. During the Steelers-Seahawks game players used pink Gatorade towels on the sideline and sideline personnel wore pink ribbon pins. One Communications, a Steelers sponsor, also made a donation to the Pittsburgh Race for the Cure before the Seahawks game. Members of Zeta Tau Alpha were at Heinz Field to distributing information on breast cancer and tips for early detection prior to one of the games. Alan and Julie Faneca are hosting Bid for Hope VI on Oct. 29, which benefits A Glimmer of Hope, a foundation set up to find a cure for breast cancer.
|
|
||||
Proper screening and early detection are the best
defenses against breast cancer and that is the one thing that frustrates Starks
– not enough women get that done.
