Breast cancer survivor’s design to grace pink Race for the Cure shirts

BANGOR – Bonnie Lee Tucker, 52, of Hampden is hoping for a sea of pink when she participates in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C., on June 1. On that day 80,000 breast cancer survivors in the United States, Germany, Greece and Italy will wear pink T-shirts.

Tucker created the design that is imprinted on the backs of those pink T-shirts. She entered a contest posted on the Komen Foundation Web site and her design was selected. Merri Lee West of W.S. Emerson in Brewer helped her convert the design to a computer graphics program, she said.

Twice a breast cancer survivor, Tucker said she entered the contest to honor her mother who died of breast cancer at age 50. When her design was chosen, she said, she saw it as a victory not only for herself, but also for all breast cancer survivors.

This year 900 Maine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 200 will die from it.

The Komen Breast Cancer Foundation supports early detection projects and research.

Tucker also is hoping for a flood of pink at the Race for the Cure in Bangor on Sept. 14.