The Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center and ESU kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the 21st Annual Pink Light Walk

Pink light walk

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on October 6, 2021, No Comments

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) and Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono (LVH–Pocono) hosted the 21st annual Pink Light Walk on Thursday, October 7 at 5 p.m.

In collaboration with LVH–Pocono’s Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center and Prime Time Health of Monroe County’s Area Agency on Aging, the walk is held each year to raise awareness about breast cancer, remember those we have lost to the disease, and emphasize the importance of early screening and detections when it comes to breast cancer.

This year’s Pink Light Walk was organized by the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center’s Manager of Oncology Operations, Shawn Thoms, ESU Health and Wellness acting director, Laura Suits-Dolan, ESU Wellness Education and Prevention coordinator, Ariel Tucci, a committee from both organizations, and other members from the community.

Prior to the walk, at 5 p.m., education tables with interactive programs were held in the ESU Science and Technology Center on Normal Street. The Pink Light Walk began from there at 6 p.m. and ended at the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center located on 181 East Brown Street, East Stroudsburg, where there were refreshments and a speech by breast cancer survivor and honorary chair of this year’s committee, Zoraida Camacho.

“I never thought in a million years that this was going to hit me. Thinking back on how I felt two years ago, when I was first diagnosed, versus the way I am feeling now, it is a blessing,” Camacho said.

“As a member of our community, a long-time employee of the Dale & Frances Hughes Cancer Center, and past president of LVH-Pocono Auxiliary, I am encouraged by the strong partnerships established with our hospital. To have a community come together to raise awareness and support for needed breast health services gives hope to the people who battle with this disease,” said Thoms. “Early detection is the first line of defense in our war against cancer, and events like the Pink Light Walk bring attention to preventive services, support, and needs for those who are touched by breast cancer.”

East Stroudsburg University, a comprehensive university in northeastern Pennsylvania offering 58 undergraduate programs, 21 master’s programs, and two doctoral programs, is one of the 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. ESU offers various degrees in health-related fields including nursing, public health, health education, exercise science, athletic training as well as pre-medicine, pre-physical therapy, and pre-physician assistant concentrations, and a doctorate of health science. Visit esu.edu for additional information.

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) includes nine hospital campuses, three in Allentown, one in Bethlehem, one in Easton, one in East Stroudsburg, one in Hazleton and two in Pottsville, Pa.; Coordinated Health, which includes two hospital campuses, nearly two dozen multispecialty locations including ambulatory surgery centers and orthopedic injury centers in northeastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey; 27 health centers; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices; 20 ExpressCARE locations including the area’s only Children’s ExpressCARE; pharmacy, imaging, home health, rehabilitation and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes: trauma care for adults and children, burn care at the Regional Burn Center; kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer, orthopedics, neurology, complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, and robotic surgery in 10 specialties. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute and Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence physicians provide the most advanced treatments. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute is a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, an initiative that helps community providers improve the quality of cancer care and offers access to MSK clinical trials. Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, the community’s only children’s hospital, provides care in more than 30 specialties and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest is ranked as the region’s No.1 hospital for eight straight years and has been recognized among Pennsylvania’s top six hospitals for eight consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report, including No. 5 in 2021-22, the only hospital in the region ranked in the top five. Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest, LVH–17th Street and LVH–Muhlenberg are the region’s only Magnet® hospitals for nursing excellence. Additional information is available by visiting lvhn.org or following us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.