October – The month globally dedicated to bringing awareness, showing support, honoring and educating people about breast cancer – the most common cancer in women. In Savannah, local organizations host fundraisers, screening events and demonstrations to raise awareness and help find the cure to breast cancer.
At the Oct. 9, 2025, City Council meeting, where Mayor Van Johnson presented a proclamation to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, community leaders, advocates, and survivors spread messages of hope and encouraged people to receive regular screenings for breast cancer.
Advocate and WSAV-TV news anchor, Tina Tyus-Shaw, spoke at the meeting, sharing her support of local survivors and initiatives. She hosts a monthly segment on WSAV called “Buddy Check 3,” in partnership with St Joseph’s | Candler, to raise awareness and encourage people to conduct self-examinations and regular mammogram tests.
Supporting our Survivors
Within our university nest, we have survivors and advocates across our faculty, staff, and student body. Communications lecturer Karla Jennings has been teaching on the Armstrong campus for 13 years. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Before my diagnosis, I was healthy, strong, and independent (still am!); but breast cancer challenged me to depend on others, to ask for help, and be okay with focusing on myself. I carry those lessons with me today,” Jennings wrote.
Support was key throughout her journey. “My family, my friends, and my faith community helped me feel loved and cared for throughout my surgery, treatment, and recovery,” said Jennings, reminding those who are still fighting their battle that they are not alone.
“Lean on those close to you, and don’t be afraid to reach out to others who have already been where you are now,” she said.
Remembering the Fighters
Executive Producer at WSAV-TV, Tarcia Bush, shared the memory of her sister, who was a Georgia Southern graduate and a Chatham County Schools special education teacher.
“I’m here to share the story of somebody who could not be here to share hers. My sister Tia was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29, and she died at 31. So I just want you all to know her name. Her name was Tia Smith,” Bush said.
She urged listeners to be vigilant and emphasized the importance of early detection.
“You can be diagnosed very early… If you have someone in your family who is diagnosed that young, and you’re a woman, you have to get prescriptions to get mammograms, and insurance will cover it,” she said. “It’s very important. It can save your life.”
Upcoming Events and Advocacy
Keep an eye out for the Pink Jeep traveling across Savannah throughout the month. When you see it, be sure to sign it with messages of support. This initiative is a collaboration between Southern Motors Savannah and WSAV-TV’s “Buddy Check 3” program, aiming to bring visibility to breast cancer awareness and to support the Telfair Mammography Fund’s mission of providing mammograms to uninsured women.
St. Joseph’s | Candler leads initiatives like “Paint the Town Pink” and “Go Pink 365,” bringing free and low-cost mammograms to women who don’t have insurance that can cover the expense. “Paint the Town Pink” will bring the mobile mammography unit to the Chatham County Courthouse on Oct. 27, 2025.
Georgia Southern’s Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority chapter is committed to its philanthropy of breast cancer education and awareness. They show their support to fighters and survivors by hosting annual service events like the “Pink Power Run” and “Think Pink! Drink Pink!” lemonade stands at the Statesboro campus.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation states that one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lives, but when it’s found in its earliest, localized stages, these women have a 99% five-year survival rate. The key is early detection and treatment. Find out how to do routine self-examinations for signs and symptoms of breast cancer on the NBCF website.
