Pink Patch Hits Home For Mountain View

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- When Community Services Officer Jodie Pierce waited a year to have a mammogram, it turned out to be a blessing. This is despite receiving a breast cancer diagnosis the following year.

"Things happen for a reason," said Pierce, who just put off the date medical practitioners recommend. "Had I done it at (age) 40, they might not have detected it. So it's good I put it off."

As it turned out, it was her first and last mammogram. She was diagnosed, took care of it and is now cancer free.

At first, she told fellow coworkers on a "need to know" basis. A year later, the woman who has organized the "Pink Patch" project for her agency went public with the private matter.

Her friends and fellow officers were "unbelievably supportive," she said. "People kept checking on me."

The enlightening experience changed her. Pierce is a modest, humble person. She's also intuitive. So when the idea of shedding more light on a pervasive cancer that affects many a mom, sister, daughter and friend, she was on board.

The Mountain View Police Department started the Pink Patch project a year ago. So far, the fund-raising token has raised $2,500 for Cancer CarePoint https://cancercarepoint.org, a Silicon Valley nonprofit organization that assists those with any type of cancer and their family members with on-the-ground support.

"There are officers and civilian staff in MVPD who have all been affected by cancer in some way," she said.

The pink patches that sell for $10 each are bought by and for all ages -- even for children who aspire to join the thin blue line when they grow up.

Nationwide, more than 350 police and fire agencies are taking part in the #pinkpatchproject, which brings "awareness to cancer and opens the lines of conversation."

Other local jurisdictions in the Silicon Valley include Campbell, Morgan Hill, Menlo Park, San Jose and Sunnyvale.

The latter agency cites an estimated 266,120 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in U.S. women this year as reasons to take part in the fight. Men make up about 2,550 cases.

--Image courtesy of the Mountain View Police Department