A convoy that delivers hope and not freight. That's the purpose behind Convoy For a Cure. The event held its inaugural convoy in Ontario Canada last year lead by lady trucker, Rachele Champagne. Rachele, who thought of the idea while navigating the highways of Canada with other lady truckers, decided that breast cancer was a good cause to benefit from an all female convoy. YES! ALL FEMALE. Drawing 29 trucks and raising nearly $15,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the event was successful and now it has spread to the US with the help of another lady trucker, Cindy Stowe.
Cindy, a driver for FFE, has the US event planned for Oct 24th at the newly remodeled and famed truck stop called "Willie's Place". Located in Carls Corner, Texas, Willie's Place is of course the name sake of owner and famed country crooner/entertainer Willie Nelson. Known by truckers of all walks, Willie's Place is located on I-35E south of DFW and is home to the Blue Skies Cafe and huge chicken fried steaks. Willie can oft be found here and at the on site Nite-Life Theater. It will truly be a great host for the lady truckers of Convoy for a Cure USA and all its supporters.
The event will get rollin' at 8am CST with check-in and last minute registrations, a 10am drivers meeting and an 11am move-out time. The Convoy will roll for about an hour and return to Willie's for lunch and entertainment. Cindy says, whoever gets the lead position in the convoy will be driving a brand new Freightliner Casacadia, provided by sponsor, Freightliner Trucks. Cindy has been keeping pace with organization of the event in her spare time, which as a driver on a dedicated route from Dallas, Texas to south Florida is very little, however, she believes in the cause and expects a great event. Cindy plans to raise money for breast cancer research and even though it is an all female convoy she says, women who are interested in participating in this, who do not have a CDL, can still do so by riding in one the many support trucks that will be following the main convoy. The support convoy will allow male drivers, anyone who supports her event with a donation will have a chance to ride in it if trucks are available.
MORE ABOUT BREAST CANCER
* Breast cancer incidence in women in the United States is 1 in 8 (about 13%).
* In 2008, an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 67,770 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
* About 1,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2008. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.
* From 2001 to 2004, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. decreased by 3.5% per year. One theory is that this decrease was due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study, called the Women’s Health Initiative, were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
* About 40,480 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2008 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1990. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
* For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer besides lung cancer.
* Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers are breast cancer.
* Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women.
* As of 2008, there are about 2.5 million women in the U.S. who have survived breast cancer.
* A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
* About 5-10% of breast cancers are caused by gene mutations inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they often are diagnosed at a younger age (before age 50). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. Men with a BRCA1 mutation have a 1% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70 and a 6% risk when they have a BRCA2 mutation.
* About 90% of breast cancers are due not to heredity, but to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general.
* The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).
To learn more about this event and the two Lady truckers visit Convoy for a Cure.com and Convoy for a Cure USA.com
The reality is that everyone knows someone who has been effected by breast cancer. You know a family member, friend, co-worker or celebrity that has endured the harsh treatments and surgeries that come with diagnosis of this disease. Women should take screening and prevention serious as well as should family and friends.
Thanks for visiting our blog and remember, wearing pink, no matter who are, is cool and for a good cause.
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