SAN ANTONIO –
To help bring awareness to breast cancer, Defense Logistics Agency Energy
Aerospace Energy Supplier division employees held an event in San Antonio, Oct. 22.
DLA Energy employees from Aerospace Energy Supplier Operations, Customer Operations, Quality, and DLA Finance Energy wore pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Two breast cancer survivors spoke at the event, and a poster was made in memory of an employee, Sylvia Gonzales, who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2010.
“As a supporter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, I thought having an event to highlight breast cancer awareness would be a great way for our office to show support for the fight against breast cancer,” said Damon Moore, Aerospace Energy Supplier division deputy chief. “Since 2008, I have had close friends and coworkers diagnosed with the awful disease and some are still fighting and others are survivors.”
Moore said he has only been at DLA Energy Aerospace Energy Supplier division for three years and didn’t know the impact this disease has had on this office until after he organized the event.
“I am extremely pleased with the support our office showed the present and past DLA Energy employees at San Antonio who have been affected by breast cancer,” he added.
As a breast cancer survivor, Melanie Mueller, Aerospace Customer Facing customer account specialist, spoke at the event and said she feels blessed to have had her work family there to walk with her through the experience.
“I can’t thank them enough for their support and prayers from the time I was first diagnosed then later with my surgery and recovery,” she said. “The ‘C’ word is something none of us want to hear or experience, but with great people behind you the journey is a little lighter and brighter. We have all felt to loss of a loved one or special coworker and miss them every day.”
Mueller said she was diagnosed early and it was instrumental in her recovery and minimized my treatments.
“Please make sure to take the time for your health,” she said. “Get timely screenings, if not for yourself, for the people who you love and love you.”
The second guest speaker, Robyn Faifer, a retired Aerospace Energy inventor manager, cut a trip short to come back to speak at the event.
Faifer, a breast cancer survivor, said she was happy to hear about the event and spoke about the importance of screenings.
Her daughter and she recently got the word hope, spelled with the breast cancer ribbon, tattooed on them after Faifer beat breast cancer.
She said it is her visual statement to remind people to keep hope if diagnosed and keep up with screenings.