Doctors Group Plans “Let’s Beat (the Drum for) Breast Cancer” Rally in Front of White House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Community advocates and breast cancer survivors are invited to join experts from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, along with a unique blend of percussionists from four area bands, from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, in front of the White House, to “Beat the Drum” for breast cancer prevention during this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Members of the Eastern High School Drum Corps, Westfield High School Drumline, a Celtic Bodhrán band, and a community drum corps, will delight onlookers as they each perform before coming together at the end for a grand finale.  

The event’s message is simple: Eating a plant-based diet can be powerful preventive medicine for breast cancer.

“We’re sending a message to America: As a nation, we must prioritize nutrition as a critical and lifesaving component in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer,” said Neal Barnard, MD, president of Physicians Committee.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, approximately 42,000 women and 500 men in the United States die from breast cancer each year. And the disease disproportionately affects Black women who have a higher rate of death from breast cancer than white women.

The Physicians Committee encourages people to reduce breast cancer risk by following the four-pronged approach of eating a whole food, plant-based diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol and maintaining a healthy weight. A recent study from the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed that eating less fat and more fruits, vegetables, and grains could help protect breast cancer survivors, too.

Rally participants will include local breast cancer survivors and community members who want to join in. And there will be handheld signs promoting a plant-based diet and encouraging passersby to sign up for the Physicians Committee’s “Let’s Beat Breast Cancer” challenge. 

“Join us and your favorite drum corps from around the Washington, D.C., area,” Dr. Barnard said, “to make some noise to beat breast cancer.”