Survivors, Physicians Will Rally in Three Dozen Cities Demanding, ‘Let’s Beat (the Drum for) Breast Cancer’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — From Washington, D.C., to San Diego, and from Traverse City, Mich., to Tampa, Fla., breast cancer survivors, community members, and local leaders will join health experts from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit health advocacy nonprofit of more than 17,000 physicians, in more than three dozen rallies to demand an improvement in breast cancer prevention efforts. In the events taking place across the country in September and October, with local percussionists to “beat the drum” for breast cancer prevention, the rallies will begin on Sept. 8 in Medina, Ohio, and Sept. 9 in North River Ranch, Fla., at 11 a.m., in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).

Breast cancer survivor Donna Green-Goodman, of Huntsville, Ala. was diagnosed with breast cancer 27 years ago. After undergoing both traditional and nontraditional medical treatment and pivoting to a whole food, plant-based diet, she is cancer free.

“The diagnosis and poor prognosis made me make some hard decisions,” Green-Goodman said. “They were giving me two to five years to live; I decided to go to a whole food, plant-based diet.” Since then, she’s become an advocate for plant-based eating and has committed herself to spreading the word about its benefits.

Green-Goodman’s rally will take place at Alabama A&M University on Sept. 30. The events’ message is simple: Eating a plant-based diet and incorporating other lifestyle changes can be powerful preventive medicine for breast cancer. Find a full list of events nationwide online.

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:

• Eat a whole food, plant-based diet.
• Exercise regularly.
• Limit alcohol.
• Maintain 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 encourage passersby to sign up for the Physicians Committee’s Let’s Beat Breast Cancer challenge.

Find out more about the rallies organized by the Physicians Committee and held across the country to acknowledge Breast Cancer Awareness Month and pledge today to reduce breast cancer incidence.