Community Health & Wellness

Let’s Beat Breast Cancer rally promotes lifestyle choices to reduce risk

On the eve of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a rally at Skansie Park in Gig Harbor promoted ways women can mitigate their risk.

Health & Wellness Sponsor

Health and Wellness stories are made possible in part by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, a proud sponsor of Gig Harbor Now.

The local Let’s Beat Breast Cancer rally on Sunday, Sept. 28, is one of about 70 organized worldwide in September and October by a nonprofit called the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

The committee promotes “putting prevention over pills,” according to its website. It also supports finding “alternatives to the use of animals in medical education and research.”

Four-prong approach

The organization promotes a four-prong approach to limiting risk of breast cancer:

• Emphasizing a plant-based diet.
• Exercising regularly.
• Limiting alcohol consumption.
• Maintaining a healthy body weight.

People who attended the Lets Beat Breast Cancer rally on Sept. 28 pose for a group photo. Photo by Vince Dice

Dietician Stephanie McBurnett told the small crowd that women can reduce their breast cancer risk by up to 70% through lifestyle choices.

Dr. Claire Buchanan, a breast cancer surgeon at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, called the four-prong approach a “cheat code” for women at risk of breast cancer.

The Peninsula High School Drum Line performs during the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer event at Skansie Park in Gig Harbor on Sept. 28, 2025. Photo by Vince Dice

“It is literally my job to take things out of people,” she said. “I’m here to today to talk about what you can put back in.”

Personal story

Retired Peninsula School District teacher Heidi Steele told the crowd that doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer at age 58. Following a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation, she remains cancer-free.

Spectators waved signs promoting plant-based foods while listening to a performance by the Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder drum line. Photo by Vince Dice

“While there are no guarantees that the cancer will not come back, I have the peace of mind of knowing I’m taking evidence-based steps to reduce my risk,” she said.

The event featured performances by the Peninsula High School drum line and the Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder drum line.

The Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder drum line perforrms during a Let’s Beat Breast Cancer rally at Skansie Park on Sept. 28. Photo by Vince Dice

Click here for information about the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and its Let’s Beat Breast Cancer campaign.

The Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder drum line performs during a Let’s Beat Breast Cancer rally at Skansie Park on Sept. 28. Photo by Vince Dice