Page High School is taking a stand on the fight against breast cancer. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and students and faculty are taking action for the cause. A few of the steps Page is taking includes “The Great Pink Out”, where faculty must pay two dollars every Monday in order to wear pink and blue jeans. Also everyday there is a breast cancer awareness fact on the announcements. Even outside of school students are taking action to raise awareness. During the Page vs. Grimsley game this past Friday students threw pink baby powder at kick off to join in on the cause, and multiple football players wore pink bands on their arms or legs to raise awareness as well. This fight against breast cancer especially hits home for the Page community for one of our own is battling with the disease. Mrs. Hairston-Slade, the data manager here at Page was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer at the age of fifty-two. She went through chemotherapy and no radiation. Mrs. Hairston-Slade speaks about her unawareness of this disease and not really “knowing her body”. “When I was diagnosed I had just started college because I wanted to go back and I never had the opportunity to go, so I had to stop going to school and start the chemo. I did twelve weeks of chemo.” This past August she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. “I had a bilateral vasectomy and my breasts removed and the cancer came back on the chest wall.” Mrs. Hairston-Slade is currently going through aggressive chemotherapy and she will be doing two months of radiation following the chemo. “I wouldn’t wish chemo on anyone, it’s one of the most awful things to go through but by the grace of God and my family and the support I have, my attitude has to be positive and I have to keep it moving because I have six children and four grandkids so I have a big family. My five sisters are now looking up to me and I’m one of the youngest. I just have to rely on my faith to get through this.” In light of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mrs. Hairson-Slade wanted to give some advice for men and women about breast cancer, “Be aware of your body, anything that feels abnormal…get it checked out. Make self exams a priority. I wish I had of known and taken it seriously, so please know your body and take it seriously.”

We wish Mrs. Hairston-Slade the best of luck with her battle and please continue the support for breast cancer awareness.