Liz Baez, Cooper employee and breast cancer survivor, is featured in the Cooper Pink Glove Video to help raise awareness for breast cancer.
You may have seen videos like this before on YouTube—hospital employees dancing to a popular song wearing bright pink gloves to raise awareness about breast cancer. They have become an online “viral” sensation viewed by millions of people throughout the world. The videos, part of a contest sponsored by Medline, are not only entertaining but they’re saving lives in the process. Cooper University Hospital is the only hospital in South Jersey competing in this year’s competition for a chance to win $10,000 towards cancer research. Cooper is asking for the community to vote for their Pink Glove video and support local breast cancer survivors. The voting period ends November 1.
There are over 250 healthcare organizations across the country participating in the 2012 Pink Glove Dance competition. Over the past three years, the Pink Glove Dance has taken on a life of its own – turning into a world-wide “movement” among health care workers, breast cancer survivors and their family and friends.
As of Friday, October 12, viewers are able to vote for Cooper’s video by creating an online Facebook account (if you don’t already have one) and logging onto www.pinkglovedance.com. The top three winners will receive a donation in their name to the breast cancer charity of their choice. Winners will be announced in November.
“The response we received from our employees who wanted to participate in the video was overwhelming,” said Lori Shaffer, Director of Public Relations at Cooper. “It was heartwarming to see everybody come together for the same cause—some doing it in honor of a friend or family member diagnosed with breast cancer, others were survivors themselves and some just wanted to raise awareness for an important cause.”
Cooper chose the song “Part of Me” by Katy Perry for their video because the lyrics hold a strong message for breast cancer patients. Although the road to recovery may be difficult at times, the disease can never take “a part” of who we are as individuals. Along the journey, there is always a guiding hand (a pink hand) leading them towards the battle to “WIN”. Each survivor in the video wore gloves that said “I WON” to show that they beat the disease, and that others can do the same with strength, courage, hope, and determination.
“Every patient has their own story to tell and we wanted to show the journey to recovery through the eyes and hands of real survivors, our Cooper employees,” according to Shaffer.
Hundreds more women from throughout Camden County will have access to breast health education and screening thanks to the Avon Foundation Breast Health Outreach Program’s renewed support of the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program at Cooper (Cooper CEED).
The Courier-Post published an article focusing on three South Jersey doctors on the front lines in the battle again breast cancer. Generosa Grana, MD, Director of the Cooper Cancer Institute, was featured in the article that described the progress that has been made in breast cancer treatments and what the future holds.
