Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Sanford Lab

For the past two Octobers, Sanford Underground Research Facility (Sanford Lab), has gone pink to raise awareness about breast cancer. So far, we’ve seen amazing site-wide participation and raised nearly $4,000 for the Lead-Deadwood Foundation for Health’s (Foundation for Health) breast cancer fund.

This October, Sanford Lab Wellness Working Group (WWG) is excited to invite our community to join with us in our third annual Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and fundraiser for the Foundation for Health.

"We are always happy to help our neighbors through the Foundation for Health, and the entire team at Sanford Lab is excited to kick off this campaign again this year," said Julie Ewing, health and safety superintendent at Sanford Lab. 

Here are three ways to join the campaign.

1. Learn more!

This month, the WWG is sharing resources from leading organizations. Here are some resources from the National Breast Cancer Foundation: 

• FAQ: Get answers to frequently asked questions about breast cancer.
• Myth vs. Fact: There is a lot of misinformation out there. Make sure you know the facts about breast cancer.
• What is breast cancer? Get an overview of this disease, causes and risk factors. 
• What to Say to a Cancer Patient: Learn what to say (and what not to say) to a loved one who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. 

SURF employees can join an educational webinar for employees with Beth Draeger, a registered nurse and breast wellness coordinator at the Cancer Care Institute in Rapid City, and Laurie Wince, director of the Foundation for Health. 

2. Give to local breast cancer survivors!

In 2018 and 2019, the Sanford lab community has raised nearly $4,000 for the Foundation for Health. This year, the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) has pledged to match the first $500 raised for this initiative. Give online or via donation boxes at locations around the Sanford Lab facility.

The Foundation for Health has been providing opportunities to the community with health, safety and personal needs for more than 32 years. The Foundation for Health also runs the “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” campaign during the Days of ’76 Rodeo as a way to increase support for breast cancer patients in the area. 

“We call it our ‘pink bubble,’” said Laurie Wince, director of the Foundation for Health. “All funds raised in the name of breast cancer go directly to helping those patients specifically.”

The Foundation for Health’s pink bubble bridges daily living costs for breast cancer patients that aren’t addressed by medical insurance. These include transportation to and from treatments, travel and lodging for the patient and their families, and lymphedema compression sleeves. Funds are also used for nutrition, pre- and post-testing and education. The Foundation for Health also provided funds to the Regional Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital to redo a section of flooring in order to stabilize the mammogram machine. 

“One thing I want to emphasize is that the funds from this campaign stay local,” said Wince. Patients eligible for these funds live primarily in Lead and Deadwood, with a few in the greater Northern Hills. 

3. Go pink!

From wearing pink face masks to putting up a giant pink ribbon on the Yates Headframe, we want our enthusiasm for this campaign to be visible to all.

Pink masks, hardhat stickers and wristbands will be distributed to employees by supervisors and additional items can be picked up at the Yates Administration reception area throughout the month of October.

Don’t stop there—get creative! And send us a photo of your most creative way to “go pink!”