PRG’s Banita Bailey Honored As Unsung Hero
Pink Ribbon Girl Banita Bailey was honored with Cancer Family Care’s 2012 Joslin Haggart Yeiser Unsung Hero Award. Banita was nominated by Tami Boehmer (friend and fellow PRG), Marian Miller, PhD, (UC College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health) and Frank Biro, MD, (Director of Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center) in the adult patient category. Dr. Biro presented the award to Banita recognizing her compassionate support of survivors and those living with breast cancer, her remarkable contributions to Pink Ribbon Girls, and her dedication as a volunteer advocate for the research studies Growing up Female and Windows of Susceptibility. Banita was just 29 years old when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer and 36 years old when she received her second diagnosis. As she shared when accepting the award, “You do not always get to choose your path in life, but you can choose how to walk it. This pathway was thrust upon me and I have made it my passion. My own experiences have given me a passion to support and advocate for other women, as I want to help change the future for my daughter and other young women.” The 26 nominees were honored at an awards ceremony held on May 22 at the Kingsgate Marriott. In addition to Banita, the winners included: Syed Ahmad, MD, oncology professional; Rick Tripp, caregiver; and Brennen Kinch, youth patient. Teri Pagan, wife of Wally Pagan, a brain tumor patient and member of the UC Brain Tumor Center Community Advisory Board, was a nominee in the caregiver category. These awards honor and celebrate the many acts of quiet heroism performed by cancer patients and the people who care for them. Cancer Family Care established the Unsung Hero Awards in 2003 in memory of Joslin Haggart Yeiser, who was a quiet hero according to her husband Eric Yeiser.
