SAN DIEGO — Breast cancer survivors and their sisterhood of supporters gathered in San Diego Friday to urge motorists to order California’s brand new “Pink Ribbon License Plates” as the city gears up for Sunday’s Race for the Cure. The plates are designed to deliver a message of “Early Detection Saves Lives” and to help fund breast cancer screenings for underserved women throughout the state. At least 7,500 pre-orders are needed for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to begin producing the plates. Orders can be made at www.pinkplate.org.
“San Diegans are going to get out and run and walk for the cure, and then they can start driving for the cure with a new Pink Plate,” said Carla Kimball, a breast cancer survivor who credits early detection for saving her life. “These plates are not just for survivors, or even the countless number of relatives and friends of survivors. The simple act of putting a Pink Ribbon License Plate on your vehicle will save lives.”
Kimball is one of a group of breast cancer survivors calling themselves “Survivor Sisters.” They have fought for years to make pink ribbon plates in California a reality. Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 49, sponsored by then-Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, into law in September 2014. On Friday, they brought their message to the Women’s Museum of California.
“As we prepare for the Race for the Cure, I am heartened by all of the unique ways now to help support Breast Cancer research, screening and treatment. These Pink Plates are particularly important to spread awareness in California about early detection,” said Laura Farmer Sherman, President & Chief Executive Officer, Susan G. Komen San Diego County. “Early detection has been saving lives, and we need to spread that message to all women.”
Plates can be pre-ordered for a driver’s own vehicle or as a gift. A portion of the purchase is tax deductible. Costs start at as low as $50.
“Prior to my diagnosis, it never dawned on me that I needed to be diligent about cancer screenings. I wasn’t considered to be in an ‘at risk’ category. And I wasn’t old enough (or so I had been told) to have a mammogram,” said Chere Rush, a mother of three. “If we are successful, and thousands of ‘reminders’ drive by us in the form of these license plates each day, if even a single person is motivated by our ‘Early Detection Saves Lives’ message, then my struggle will have meaning.”
Money generated from the California Pink Ribbon License Plate will allow more women across California to get regular breast exams and mammograms, potentially saving lives. The funds will be directed to the Breast Cancer Control Account, which funds the state’s Every Woman Counts program administered by the California Department of Health Care Services. The program partners with county departments of public health and county health consortia across California to provide women with local, easy access to screenings.
About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime, and the disease remains among the top killers of women in California and across the United States. Breast cancer is also considered to be among the most treatable cancers when caught early. Breast cancer mortality rates have fallen dramatically in recent years, thanks in large part to advances in diagnostics and increased awareness about the importance of early and regular screenings.
