WAUWATOSA, Wis. — Strung between the pillars of the Wauwatosa Women's Club are a bunch of decorated bras — each one different and unique, created with care and purpose.
"We had so much fun making them," said member Nancy Wilke.
"I made the red one here with the flowers in honor of my mom, who had breast cancer, and the one next to it is in honor of the member who was just diagnosed with breast cancer," she explained.
Watch: Wauwatosa Women's Club honors breast cancer survivors and patients with display
It's a start to break the stigma and talk to one another about the disease.
"It's a personal topic, you know, but I think it does help to talk about it and just know that others understand where you're coming from," Wilke said.
Wilke is a part of the Women's Club and is in charge of a new series they are starting this month called Thrive Women's Health. The club always puts on programs for women, but this series is meant to empower and educate, starting with breast cancer.
"We bring in experts that are going to help empower women to be a real partner in their health and help them realize the questions they should be asking to their physicians when they go in and be a really informed patient,” Wilke said. “You have to be your own advocate for health care, and so I think knowledge is your power.”
Wilke is a strong believer in the power of community, and she's found hers through the club.
"The one in the top center, the blue one is the Brewer bra," she noted, pointing to the colorful display at the front door.
The club is holding an event on Tuesday evening where all women can join in for a conversation on breast cancer awareness. If you can't make it, Wilke still has a message: early detection can save lives.
"Get a mammogram. Put it on your calendar every year," Wilke said.
The breast cancer awareness event will feature a speech from the executive director of Susan G. Koman Wisconsin, Nikki Panico on Tuesday, October 14, from 7 to 9 p.m.
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