CHEYENNE, Wyo. — At the corner of Carey Avenue and 19th Street this morning, Cheyenne resident Chelsea Applegate stood in a hot pink “Barbie” T-shirt and looked out into the downtown area.
The $10 Sam’s Club shirt was meant for her daughter, a rising East High sophomore who helps lead the school’s color guard in the Cheyenne Frontier Days Grand Parades.
“I got it for my daughter to see the Barbie movie,” Applegate said. “I stole it for today.”
Applegate was one of the dozens of community members who dressed in pink attire during the second day of the parades to promote breast cancer awareness.
The Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative and CFD co-hosted “Give Cancer the Boot” day to honor all cancer survivors. Community members, visitors and parade participants, including city leaders, high schoolers, CFD committee members and members of the Armed Forces, were encouraged to wear pink to show their support for breast cancer research. Cancer survivors were given special recognition during the downtown parade and at the Frontier Park rodeo this afternoon.
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women in the U.S, according to Breastcancer.org. As of January 2022, there are more than 3.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, the organization states.
Applegate is familiar with these statistics. When Applegate’s grandmother was 27, she was diagnosed with the disease and underwent a mastectomy. Although the event happened years ago, Applegate said it is important for her to always show support for breast cancer survivors. She encourages young women especially to consider a screening.
“At age 27, I feel like that’s really young for a breast cancer patient compared to the normal age,” Applegate said. “I feel like bringing awareness to have [young] women checked out is important.”
She appreciates that CFD dedicates the Thursday of Frontier Days to highlight the issue.
“I think it’s awesome and I appreciate it,” she said. “All the bands have little pinks to their outfits. I think this is important, there is a really high rate of women getting [breast cancer].”
