By Tim Harfmann
Students and parents from Saint Agnes High School in College Point, Queens came together to raise awareness about breast cancer.
Amanda Bradley, a Girl Scout and a senior at St. Agnes, put a school dance together in order to earn the Gold Award: the highest honor in scouting.
The 17-year-old is an honor student and active at her parish in Elmhurst, where she’s a Eucharist minister, an altar server and a religious education teacher.
At the awareness event, Amanda shared her family’s emotional journey. “Both my grandmothers had breast cancer, so it was a topic close to my heart,” Amanda explained. One of them lost the fight against the disease before Amanda was born, but her other grandma — Marie Bradley — beat the disease.
“I’m so proud of her that she could do this, but I’m not surprised,” said Marie.
While there was a lot of fun: pink desserts, balloons and a photo booth, Amanda’s mom, Irene, pointed out that a lot of important information on breast cancer was also available.
“Everybody needs support, one way or another,” said Irene. “Whether it’s by means of resources, by means of information or just by leading an ear, it’s our Christian value.”
But the Bradley family is fighting the disease again: Amanda’s grandmother has lung cancer.
“We want to hang out more, we want to just talk more; and every moment is more special,” said Amanda.
“Right now I’m going through that, and a day at a time,” added Marie. “I’m here today, I have a lot of good people praying for me, and prayer works.”
It’s the power of prayer in the fight against cancer.