MANCHESTER, NH – Throughout the month of October on-duty Manchester firefighters were spotted wearing eye-catching navy-and-pink T-shirts. The initiative was part of the American Cancer Society’s Men Wear Pink campaign.
This year the shirts were also made available to the public as a fundraising effort, and the outpouring of support resulted in more than 1,000 shirts sold, representing a donation of $7,000 which was presented to Nancy Mathis of the American Cancer Society on Thursday by way of a big check.
Chief Ryan Cashin said he was “super proud” of the fire department’s strong support for a cause that is near and dear to them.
“Seeing firefighters in pink shirts during the month of October was a great outreach allowing us to bring more awareness to cancer,” Cashin said, noting that the risk of occupational cancer puts firefighters at a much higher risk statistically than the general population.
“Every single one of us has a mother, or a sister, as well as all the female firefighters out there, who are at an even higher risk of occupational cancer,” Cashin said.
According to the International Association of Firefighters firefighter occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the fire service. At the 2022 IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, almost 75% of the names added to the wall (348 out of 469) were members who had died from occupational cancer.
“About 2,800 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, along with 297,790 of their wives, daughters, sisters, aunts, and friends. We are so grateful for the support of the Manchester Fire Department’s efforts and support of the American Cancer Society’s mission,” Mathis said.
In addition to Manchester firefighters, Mathis said leaders and organizations from around the state joined together with the American Cancer Society to raise funds to support breast cancer research, patient programs, and direct services during the month of October.
“This campaign is near and dear to us,” said Capt. Chad Gamache. “Cancer in firefighters is coming across at an alarming rate and so for us to be able to wear a pink shirt for the month and raise funds means a lot to this membership.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. It is about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers each year. The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2023 are about 297,790 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women, about 55,720 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will be diagnosed, and about 43,700 women will die from breast cancer. The death rate from breast cancer dropped by 42% from 1989 to 2019 as a result of earlier detection through increased awareness and mammography screening, as well as advances in treatments.
The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 100 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345.