Online Archives

BY SHAUN LANE
UMCONNECTION STAFF

Denice Whalen-White has never battled breast cancer. She doesn't even have a loved one who has suffered from this disease. Still, when she considers the many women who are fighting breast cancer, she takes comfort knowing that her ministry lets these women know that there is a stranger in the world who cares and is praying for them.

Whalen-White, who in September founded the Glenn Dale-based nonprofit All Shades of Pink, delivers handmade pink and white comfort blankets to breast cancer patients at Lanham's Doctors Community Hospital.

The mission of All Shades of Pink is to assist women diagnosed with breast cancer with resource referrals, non-medical advice and/or emergency financial assistance during their treatment period. The blankets are meant to provide comfort to patients going through the post-surgery recovery process.

"I make these blankets because I want them to know that Christ loves them and someone is thinking of them," said Whalen-White, a member of Mount Calvary UMC in Charlotte Hall. "I pray over every blanket as I make it. And when I'm finished, I bring it to my church and the entire congregation prays over it.

"It's a small act of kindness, but it really makes a difference in someone's life. I think it lifts the spirits of those who receive one."

Whalen-White came up with her organization's name - All Shades of Pink - because women of all races are affected and pink, she said, stands for "people in need of kindness."

"This is not just a disease that only affects a certain group of woman," she said. "I wanted to make sure that All Shades of Pink stood for all women."

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is about one in eight, or 12 percent.

It is estimated that in 2008 about 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States. Women living in North America have the highest rate of breast cancer in the world. At this time there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

The American Cancer Society also states that breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman's death is about 1 in 35, about 3 percent.

In 2008, about 40,480 women will die from breast cancer in the United States. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.

Whalen-White has made about 20 blankets in the last six months with a few volunteers to help her. She tries to make one blanket per week.

"I do this because I want to help on a more personal level," she said.

"I went on a breast cancer walk last year and I was wondering why some people had white T-shirts and others had pink ones. I found out that the ones wearing pink shirts were breast cancer survivors. I spoke to a woman during the walk who was a breast cancer survivor. Her story really touched me. I knew then that I wanted to do something to comfort people fighting (breast cancer)"

Whalen-White said that in addition to her Shades of Pink initiative, the nonprofit has plans to begin two other programs by this summer, an emergency assistance program and a program she calls Kids Night Out.

The emergency assistance program will consist of the nonprofit paying up to $750 for a breast cancer patient's utility bill that is close to being suspended. Whalen-White said the emergency assistance program would be able to aid only four or five families this year as her nonprofit continues to generate money.

Kids Night Out will consist of the nonprofit providing the families of breast cancer patients with $50 gift certificates to restaurants and movie theatres. The nonprofit recently held a silent auction. Proceeds benefited the All Shades of Pink Emergency Assistance Fund.

"We want to help as many families as we can," she said. "We want to make a difference, even if it's a small one."

Whalen-White said when she attracts more volunteers, she would like to expand the comfort blanket distribution to other hospitals.

All Shades of Pink is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. She said the nonprofit is soliciting donations from businesses and individuals in addition to working to find more volunteers to make comfort blankets.

"A daughter of the woman who received the first blanket called me to say how much her mother appreciated the blanket," Whalen-White said. "She said her mother sits and strokes the blanket all of the time. When I hear things like that, I know I'm doing something special."