United against breast cancer

Provided

Patricia Duggan (right) and members of the Mount Vernon FT retiree chapter team at the Making Strides Westchester walk.

his October, thousands of people are taking to the streets to fight against breast cancer, and NYSUT will be walking with them. Each year, NYSUT members walk in solidarity with breast cancer survivors and their loved ones during the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events, which take place across the state.

Patricia Duggan, a retired member of the Mount Vernon Federation of Teachers, has been in remission from breast cancer for nine years. “It happened to me about three years before I retired,” Duggan said. “Thank God, they caught it. It was very small, but there was already one lymph node involved.”

Duggan has been a leader for the Mount Vernon FT retiree chapter team since 2016. “I worry about my daughters. That’s why I walk.” Duggan also walks in memory of her mother, Sheila Phelan, who passed away in 2004 following a battle with breast cancer.

Duggan serves as a peer counselor for Support Connection in Yorktown Heights, answering phone calls from individuals recently diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. “Every person is different, and their cancer journey is unique,” Duggan said.

Since 2002, NYSUT has been a flagship sponsor for Making Strides. During that time, members have raised $18.3 million to support breast cancer research, ensure greater access to care, influence public policy, and provide critical patient support.

“NYSUT is proud to support Making Strides. To all of our members who are facing down this diagnosis, we want to say, ‘We are here for you,’ and to our members who have loved ones battling this disease, we want to say, ‘We know what you are going through,’” said J. Philippe Abraham, NYSUT secretary-treasurer, whose office coordinates the statewide union’s social justice initiatives. Abraham lost one of his sisters to the disease.