5,000 Airborne Bras Battle Breast Cancer In the Tri

“This is something that makes me smile, and breast cancer doesn’t usually make anybody smile,” said Jonesborough’s Joyce Zukas. The seven-year, nine-month cancer survivor joined a dozen fellow survivors and supporters around a table of braziers.

“When you string bras that have been donated for a cause like this, it can’t help but make anybody smile,” said Zucas.

Connecting clasps and straps, the group stringed thousands of bras together for the WTFM ‘Bras Across the Tri’ project Thursday afternoon in an old WKPT-ABC 19 studio in downtown Kingsport. Friday evening the bras will leave the studio and fly overhead outside the station during a rally at Commerce and Center Streets.

WTFM’s Wake Up Crew Taylor Morgan says the station has collected more than 5,000 bras from donations dropped off at 11 area Wal-Mart Stores.

“This has been a fun, lighthearted attempt to bring awareness at the importance of getting a mammogram,” said Morgan.

Sorting through lace, cotton, padded and underwire bras; Morgan’s mother-in-law Donna Ferguson says she has a lot on her mind.

“Sometimes I find myself envisioning a world where there is no breast cancer and that’s the whole mission,” said Ferguson.

Ferguson is a Johnson City business woman working to raise breast cancer awareness in the Tri-Cities. The Window & Door Concepts co-owner and operator is also a two-year, three-month breast cancer survivor.

“Self exams are very important; that is how mine was found. If anything changes during your weekly self exams you should go see your physician,” said Ferguson.

She advises everyone 40 and over to begin annual mammograms to promote early detection.

‘Bras Across the Tri’ organizers say the first 50 people to show up to the Friday night rally will receive a free gift bag courtesy of The Professional Hearing Aid Center.

“It was amazing when we came up with this crazy idea to collect bras, how many businesses said ‘Hey we want to be a part of it,’” Morgan added.

Rain or shine, Friday night, the station plans to host a rally under the moon, stars and bras.

“We’re stringing the bras up and they’re like a clothesline on the side of our building and When you look up at the rally at 6:30 tonight you can see the ‘Bras Across the Tri-Cities’ literally hanging above your head,” Morgan said.

‘Bras Across The Tri’ Rally
Friday October 25, 2008
6:30 p.m.
Commerce Street and Center Street
Downtown Kingsport
Look for the bras on the building

View Larger Map

WTFM’s ‘Bras Across The Tri’ Promotes Breast Cancer Awareness
http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/medical/article/bras_across_the_tri/14735/

98.5 WTFM Radio
http://www.wtfm.com/

Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition
http://www.tbcc.org/facts.htm