When invited to recognize a friend or family member who had battled breast cancer, employees of Retrotel, a local distributor of business telephone systems, had an unfortunately easy time coming up with names. This served as another reminder of how prevalent breast cancer has become. In March, Retrotel staffers honored their loved ones affected by breast cancer with a month long awareness campaign. They created a “Breast Cancer Wall of Honor” to recognize important people in their lives who have battled the disease and had a pink spirit day to show their support. Steve Wininger, Retrotel engineer, designed large ribbons made of pink foam packing material for anyone who needed something pink to wear. They were such a hit with the staff that he had to double production as requests were pouring in.
On March 28, they were honored to have a guest speaker from the Desert Comprehensive Breast Center speak at their weekly staff meeting. Dr. Laura Lee, Medical Director and Oncology Surgeon at DCBC, presented current information and statistics to the staff, educating them on the risk factors of breast cancer and the benefits of early detection. She was joined by Lennette Hauver, Manager of the Comprehensive Breast Center at Desert Regional Medical Center. Before the presentation, candles were lit in the center of pink donuts as the names from the Wall of Honor were read out loud.
At the conclusion of Retrotel’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, company owners Brian and Cherise Sonderman made a donation to the Desert Cancer Foundation in support of their Suzanne Jackson Breast Cancer Fund. This fund was developed in honor of Jackson, a former LPGA Director of Tournament Operations and part-time desert resident who lost her courageous 7 1/2 year battle with breast cancer in 1998. The Desert Cancer Foundation provides cancer screening,