Some people walk for breast cancer. Others race. Medline believes in dancing while wearing pink gloves. On March 9, nearly 1,000 operating room nurses from across the country danced to their hearts’ content to kick off the 2015 Medline Pink Glove Dance Video Competition. The dance took place at Medline’s 10th annual Breast Cancer Awareness Breakfast in Denver, in conjunction with the annual Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Surgical Conference & Expo.
Breast cancer survivor and former “Dancing with the Stars” host Samantha Harris, danced side-by-side with the nurses and shared her personal breast cancer journey as the keynote speaker. Last year, Harris found a lump in her breast days after a clear mammogram. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40.
“I knew I was in the right place when I walked into the Breast Center at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. Nurses held my hand, listened to me and I never felt alone,” says Harris. “Cancer had a chance to break me down, but I was determined to fight back with strength and positivity.”
This is the fifth year of the competition, which includes the United States, Canada and Panama. Separate competitions are held in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. To register for the competition, go to www.pinkglovedance.com. Results will be announced Oct. 1 with the winning team receiving a $15,000 donation in their name to the breast cancer charity of their choice. Other prizes will also be awarded.
Also at the event, Medline presented the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) with a check for more than $200,000 to help fund mammograms and educational services for underserved women. To date, Medline has donated $1.6 million to NBCF as part of Medline’s campaign to promote breast cancer prevention and education. •
