CINCINNATI — Every October, a flood of pink washes over the country. Cleats, graphics, lights, flags, hats and even uniforms take on the color in an effort to spread awareness, raise funds and show support for those who have breast cancer.
For the past three years, Jen Lane, a criminalist with the Cincinnati Police Department, has been proud to add a pink badge to her uniform every October, but until this year, she never expected to be afflicted with the disease herself.
Across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women with about 42,000 women and 500 men dying from the disease annually.
“It’s something that everyone’s aware of,” Lane said. “But I had no family history really so it was never something I expected to deal with, especially at my age.”
At age 36, the officer got her diagnosis in January after she discovered a lump on her breast.
“I thought it was a bruise of some sort, and I let it sit for a week or so and realized it wasn’t going anywhere,” she said.
At that point, Lane said the cancer was at stage 2, and she went into treatment immediately.
“It’s been long. It’s been draining, physically and emotionally,” she said.
She’s tried to make it into work as often as possible, balancing her job and while being treated for cancer. Lane works in the city’s crime lab, analyzing evidence and helping detectives build cases.
She said her supervisors have been flexible with her schedule and medical concerns, allowing her to work off hours if she needs to avoid crowds.
“It’s keeping me going, coming to work every day, being around people,” she said. “My doctor actually said to me that if I was up to it, she was never going to put me on light duty. She was just going to allow me to do what I felt I could do.”
Through her treatment, Lane said her coworkers have been one of her biggest sources of support. Coworkers began designing and selling “Team Jen” T-shirts for her benefit, distributing hundreds throughout the office and the department.
“Between the fifth and the sixth floor, I’m pretty sure everybody’s got a T-shirt,” Lane said.
When October arrived, Lane said she felt the support stronger than ever. For the past three years, the Cincinnati Police Department has participated in the “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign, allowing officers to wear pink badges and distributing hats with pink ribbons as Chief Eliot Isaac raises money for breast cancer research.
Lane said she’s wearing hers with a little more pride this year.
“All the pink is uplifting,” she said. “I know it’s not all about me but just to see it, it’s one of those things that unifies people every October.”
Lane has a few more weeks of chemotherapy and then expects to undergo surgery afterward. Through it all, she expects to work as much as she can, supporting the colleagues who have spent the past year supporting her, taking pride in every pink badge she sees.
“Whether they know they’re supporting me by wearing pink or not,” she said. “It’s just another support.”