By Joel Wensley
“It wasn’t much of a struggle to get the girls around the office to wear pink for the entire month of October, but the guys on the other hand, were a bit more of a challenge.” said Joel Wensley, owner of Dearborn Heights-based Mechanical Heating and Cooling.
Wensley decided that for the entire month of October, his entire company will wear pink company shirts adorned with the breast cancer ribbon in support of winning the battle against breast cancer that thousands of women face every year.
Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers today, according to the National Cancer Institute. All women are at risk, and although rare, men can also develop the same deadly disease. Breast cancer is complex and unpredictable. Experts aren’t sure what causes breast cancer, so, they can’t say for sure how to prevent it. One thing for certain, though, is that early detection saves lives.
According to the NCI:
• An estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to occur among women in the United States in 2009. An estimated 40,170 women will die. In addition to invasive breast cancer, 62,280 new cases of in situ breast cancer were expected to occur among women in 2009.
• Breast cancer is the leading cancer among American women and second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths.
• More than 2 million women currently living in the United States have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer.
“Having an aunt who is a breast cancer survivor makes this a very personal issue.” Wensley said. It’s because of that and other factors that he and his company has decided to donate between $5,000 and $10,000 this season in proceeds from their business to help find a cure for this deadly disease.
“It’s good to see local business leading the way when it comes to helping others in our very own communities,” Wensley said.