For the second year, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel were given the opportunity to trade out their regular patches for pink ones for October, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers, with 1 in 8 women in the U.S. expected to develop cancer in her lifetime, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
The Pink Patch Project, a collaborative effort between the L.A. County Police Chiefs’ Association, along with public safety agencies in L.A. County and beyond, is a public awareness campaign aimed at bringing attention to the importance of early detection in the fight against the disease while raising funds for breast cancer education, treatment and research through sales proceeds.
Here in the Santa Clarita Valley, a dispatcher and a detective chose to participate, sharing what inspired them to don the pink patch for the second year in a row.
“(I did it) in support of those who are currently battling breast cancer and for those that have
gone through that fight and have survived it,” Detective Cheryl Hartman said. “We’ve had a few people here at our station that have had breast cancer.”
“I know several coworkers that are battling and have lost the battle of different types of cancer and in my own family, as well,” dispatcher Julie Garcia added. “For me, it’s personal. My coworkers are like family.”
Both women have been stationed in Santa Clarita for quite a while and agree that it’s special to be able to wear the patches in support of their comrades through October, along with educating SCV residents who ask about the Pink Patch Project.
