Under the gloomy skies of late October, a group of people clad in purple t-shirts and matching protective masks gathered on the corner of a wide Walnut Avenue on the Eastside of Long Beach.
With treat bags in their hands, they clamored at passing cars to “honk for breast cancer!”
Cancer Fighters, led by ten-year-old Nellie De La Cruz, and her cousin Capone Magallanes, held the event on Saturday, Oct. 24, to raise awareness of the disease during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“Today’s main purpose was to spread awareness for those that have been diagnosed with breast cancer and those who have fought breast cancer,” Magallanes said.
For Magallanes and De La Cruz this event was personal.
“This event was toward my tia Mary, (Mary Maez), who has fought breast cancer and for many others out there,” Magallanes said.
The event also honored De La Cruz and Magallanes’ aunt, Carmen Armenta, also a breast cancer survivor.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the nation.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation states that 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
In 2020, the number of new invasive breast cancer cases in women is an estimated 276,480 and an estimated 42,170 deaths, accounting for 7.0% of all cancer deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute. Additionally, this year an estimated 2,620 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
It is important to note that while white and Black women get breast cancer at a similar rate, according to the CDC, breast cancer death rates among Black women are 40% higher, however, deaths are declining among both, particularly among younger Black women.
Data shows that 64% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a stage where there is no evidence that cancer has spread outside of the breast and have a five-year survival rate of 99%. Currently, there are 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the nation, the National Breast Cancer Foundation highlights on their website.
According to the American Cancer Society, trends from 2013-2017 show that rates among older women have declined in part due to early screening and increased awareness.
De La Cruz’s ultimate goal was to raise awareness and get as many honks as possible, but it was also to get as many smiles as the group could.
And they did. Loud honks emanated from the cars of those who participated as they reached the end of the street, often earning a goodie bag from Cancer Fighters or one of their supporters.
The goodie bags included a bag of chips, a bracelet, a pink cancer awareness ribbon, a cancer awareness bracelet, an awareness sticker, gummy bears, and hand sanitizer wipes.
At times when the street fell quiet, the stillness would be broken by De La Cruz’ voice resounding through the busy residential street.
De La Cruz and Magallanes were joined by their parents, Nellie Lopez and Ritchie De La Cruz and Velina Velasquez and Edgar Magallanes, respectively, carrying signs and cheering. Also among the supporters was Yuri Williams, founder of A Future SuperHero and Friends.
“We come together and do this as a family,” Lopez, who took turns cheering and handing out goodie bags from each side of the street, said.
“For all of our family to do this event today shows [how] just a small ordinary group can make a difference and bring many others to join in on this act,” Magallanes said.
This is just one of the events Cancer Fighters has put on in recent weeks, having visited St. Mary’s Medical Center in late September to deliver care packages to essential workers for the third time. Previously, De La Cruz made and delivered 90 bracelets for children with cancer at Miller’s Children Hospital in 2019 and along with Magallanes, has performed random acts of kindness throughout the pandemic.
“We just want to let people know you are never too big or too small and don’t let nothing stop you from making a difference,” De La Cruz said.
