Monday, February 25, 2008

Dallas pastor raising awareness of breast cancer

By Michael Davis of Dallas Progress

On Dallas Progress, I have highlighted various Dallas efforts to heighten awareness about breast cancer.

As many of you know, Highland Hills United Methodist Church's senior pastor Dr. Sheron Patterson suffered from breast cancer. For any family, such a diagnosis could be devastating. Over the past year, Dr. Sheron took her pain and turned it into power as she chronicled her road to recovery through Dallas Morning News articles, a preaching series, and other media.

As I searched through various articles, this one moved me the most. It's titled "My husband and I are fighting breast cancer side by side."

You may have heard that Dr. Sheron has started a community effort called Breast Cancer Builds. Starting March 1st (this Saturday!) and continuing each Saturday through the end of April, Dr. Sheron will lead the charge to build a Habitat for Humanity Home in South Oak Cliff. The home will be located at Bonnie View and Loop 12, and will be a vessel to raise awareness and money to provide mammograms for low-income women in North Texas and for Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.

Dr. Sheron simply needs 200 breast cancer survivors (25 per day to do one of the eight Saturdays) to complete the project. To sign up, go here. In addition to building the house, she is also raising money to provide low income women in Dallas County with 1,000 mammogram and breast health seminars.

Links:

* The full press release regarding this effort.

* Dr. Sheron's website.

* Dr. Sheron's Dallas Morning News article archive.

* The Patterson Pledge. Dr. Sheron needs 8,000 women by May 8th (the one-year anniversary of her surgery) to take the pledge for healthy living. Women who join will receive a welcome kit that includes a health record booklet, a lapel pin, a refrigerator magnet for a daily reminder of the pledge and a letter from Ms. Patterson. Podcasts with encouragements in the areas of eating, exercise and mammograms will be available.

Pegasus News content partner - Dallas Progress

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• Charity
• Disease / Illness
• Christianity > Methodist