Every October, pink ribbons and nationwide breast cancer awareness campaigns remind women to stay up to date on their mammograms while emphasizing the importance of early detection. But in Bellingham, those reminders come with something extra — community, compassion, and a personal touch.
From the annual My Sister’s Keeper event to the long-running Mammogram Party and the unmistakable Pink Patrol Car, PeaceHealth clinicians and partners are working to make breast cancer awareness approachable and meaningful.
A Survivor’s Story Sparks a Movement
For Devyn Nixon, a cardiovascular nurse practitioner with PeaceHealth Medical Group, October’s mission is deeply personal.
“My work was interrupted by a breast cancer diagnosis myself,” she says. “I got my first screening mammogram at 41, and it was positive. That’s what got my interest — it wasn’t something that was even on my radar before.”
That experience led Nixon to discover Cierra Sisters, a Seattle-based support group for Black women founded by the late, beloved Bridgette Hempstead. “Everywhere I went, I was looking for support, but culturally, we approach health care differently,” Nixon says. “Cierra Sisters really held me and carried me through the emotional ups and downs.”
Inspired by the group’s strength of community, Nixon helped launch My Sister’s Keeper, a PeaceHealth event focused on culturally aligned breast cancer awareness and early detection here in Whatcom County.
“Our inaugural event last year featured Bridgette as the keynote speaker,” Nixon recalled. “It was actually her last speaking event before she passed away in December. She wasn’t feeling her best, but she still made us laugh and, most importantly, took away some of the fear about getting screened.”
Bridgette was a beacon of hope and strength within Cierra Sisters and beyond. Her deep love for the community she nurtured and held up, and the inspiration she sparked in her words, lives on in a golden ripple effect, especially for those who are in their own battles with breast cancer.
This year’s event will include a survivor panel featuring three women diagnosed at young ages — all busy moms who, like Nixon, were used to taking care of everyone else first.
“One of the things we’re focusing on this year is women like myself — moms who are really busy taking care of everyone else,” she says. “When you get that digital invite, think about those women in your life who put themselves last, and invite them to come along.”
Breaking Down Barriers Through Connection
Nixon said part of the work behind My Sister’s Keeper is about rebuilding trust in health care among historically marginalized communities.
“There’s a long-standing history of medical mistrust in the Black community, and it’s valid,” she says. “If we don’t have our own positive interactions with the medical community, there isn’t anything to mitigate that.”
Through culturally responsive events, PeaceHealth and its partners are showing up — literally — in the community. “When health care organizations come out into the community, it’s a bi-directional thing,” Nixon says. “It’s the beginning of improving population-level trust and utilization of important health care services.”
The Mammogram Party: Two Decades of Impact
For over two decades, another local event has been addressing a similar challenge: helping women make overdue appointments.
The Mammogram Party, a collaboration between Mount Baker Imaging, PeaceHealthSt. JosephCancer Center, and KAFE 104.1 Radio, started around the year 2000. The idea came from a simple observation: too many women had mammogram referrals collecting dust.
“The biggest need was reaching the women who had that referral taped to their refrigerator for three years but just hadn’t gotten around to making an appointment,” says Carol Brumet, outreach coordinator for PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center, who helps coordinate the event.
During October, KAFE 104.1 encourages listeners to come in on their lunch break, no appointment needed. “We’ve had people walk in with crumpled-up referrals that had been in their glove box for over five years,” says Brumet.
Each year, there are three to five findings on average that result directly from the event. “Early detection is what saves lives,” says Brumet. “I would far rather see you at the Mount Baker Imaging Women’s Diagnostic Center a little nervous than in one of our chemo chairs.”
Making Mammograms Comfortable and Accessible
For those who haven’t yet had their first screening, PeaceHealth wants women to know that mammograms today are nothing like they used to be.
“Technology has come so far,” says PeaceHealth Communications Specialist Barbara Pongracz Lamb. “And the technologists are trained specifically to make patients comfortable and get the best imaging possible.”
And while mammograms typically start at age 40, women with a family history of breast cancer should talk to their primary care provider about starting sooner.
“If you have a mom, sister, or aunt with breast cancer, you’ll likely be advised to start earlier so there’s a baseline,” says Brumet.
The Pink Patrol Car and Beyond
Another bright symbol of community collaboration is rolling through Bellingham — the Pink Patrol Car, a joint project between the Bellingham Police Department, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center, and Domestic Violence Services of Whatcom County (DVSAS).
Special Victims Unit Detective Keith R. Johnston sees the Pink Patrol Car initiative as two-fold. “October is Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and four years ago we started the pink and purple patrol car campaign,” he says. “The concept came from wanting to bring awareness to our community about breast cancer and domestic violence. So, we partnered with the agencies that work directly with those who are fighting cancer and fleeing domestic violence.”
Each October, the patrol car is designed to bring awareness to folks throughout Bellingham. “We approached Signs Plus Inc. to see the price of wrapping a patrol car, and they have graciously and generously donated the design, labor and application of the wrap for the past four years,” says Johnston. “This has blossomed into a fantastic partnership between the Bellingham Police Department, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center, DVSAS, Lummi Victims of Crime, Signs Plus Inc., and our community.”
This year, the design reflects the breathtaking tableau of the Salish Sea.
“It’s really become a fun thing — officers sign up in advance because everyone wants to drive the pink car,” Brumet says. “It’s out 24 hours a day through the month of October.”
This year, the car also features logos from Lummi Victims of Crime, recognizing local partnerships that support women, families, and survivors in various ways.
“These projects aren’t fundraisers,” says Brumet. “They’re about awareness — getting your mammogram, your colonoscopy, your screenings. And this November, we’re turning the focus to men’s health with a ‘Movember’ campaign.”
Early Detection, Lasting Connection
From mammogram parties to pink patrol cars and connecting with survivors, these efforts share one powerful goal – to make preventive care feel less clinical and more human. Community is the foundation for every single one of these initiatives.
As Nixon says, “It’s about awareness, mitigating fear and mistrust, and empowering people with information.”
Learn about the role of mammograms in early detection and the importance of reaching historically marginalized communities at the 2nd Annual My Sister’s Keeper: Early Detection and Screening Saves Lives & Community Breakfast on Friday, October 24, 2025. The event begins at 8:30-9:00 a.m. with breakfast, and from 9-10 a.m., is a program and panel discussion at PeaceHealth St. Luke’s Health Education Center, located at 3333 Squalicum Parkway in Bellingham. Breakfast and program are free. Please RSVP online or call 360.856.7530.
Coinciding with the My Sister’s Keeper event is the annual Mammogram Party also on Friday, October 24, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mount Baker Imaging, 4029 Northwest Ave., Suite 101, Bellingham.
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