Supporting The White Ribbon Project

In October 2020, lung cancer patient and advocate Heidi Onda began getting frustrated with hospital administrators and marketing departments rejecting a campaign. Finally, she asked her husband, Pierre, an internist, to make her a white ribbon out of plywood to hang on their front door.

The beginning of the White Ribbon Project

Pierre eagerly made the white ribbon for his wife and labeled it, "Lung Cancer Awareness".  Underneath were the words, The White Ribbon Project. She knew that no one could stop her from putting a white ribbon on her house. She then shared the pictures of it on a Facebook page for lung cancer patients in Colorado. Once everyone began to see the ribbons, they began asking for one.

The Onda's turned their garage into a makeshift ribbon-making warehouse and began personally creating and shipping white ribbons all over the country, each made with love and a personal note signed by Heidi. Fighting lung cancer can be personal and there are so many people out there who are still ashamed to admit they have it. But we need those voices. No one deserves this disease.

What's the mission of the White Ribbon Project?

I received my ribbon from Heidi during the holidays last year. She sent it to lung cancer advocate, Chris Draft, in Atlanta. I go to Atlanta to see my oncologist and parents so received my ribbon then. We took some pictures and posted them to lung cancer sites, but in my mind, I thought, "What are we trying to accomplish?"

Within 6 months, were shipped to several countries. Heidi and Pierre absorbed the cost themselves, so many of us can't afford that but want to help. Recipients were holding the ribbons in front of cancer centers, homes, and tourist attractions and posting to social media. Several comprehensive cancer centers began displaying the handmade ribbons as did other lung organizations

This project started as a grassroots movement. Now, it is growing with leaps and bounds. When I spoke with Heidi about it, she said that she had a dream. Her dream was, "One day, people will wear the small white ribbon pin without anything on it, and people will automatically know it is a lung cancer ribbon". Much like they recognize pink as breast cancer.

How can I get involved?

While still recovering from a stroke and being a single mom, I very much wanted to help.  Marketing, websites, and social media are my forte. Therefore, I kept getting frustrated because I felt like I couldn't add anything to the project. Although I knew how to build websites, market, and run social media campaigns, I decided to step back. This was going to be larger than me and as much as I like control, I had to step back. My passion for anything to do with lung cancer awareness runs deep.

It's time to end the lung cancer stigma

And I don't think it's the patients' fault more people aren't aware of lung cancer. We are sick, some of us very much so. Nancy Goodman did so much work for the Susan G. Kohmen foundation and we need Nancy Goodman. The large cancer organizations are going to still promote smoking as the main cause, which is true, but this is making people ashamed. Stigma makes patients feel like they did this to themselves. But look at our society and all the cancers. They all came from something. And not all lung cancer patients smoked.

I believe there is a lack of funding and awareness because there is a lack of education on behalf of some major cancer organizations. You can't know something unless you are taught, with facts. And we need advocates without cancer, people to carry on. We also need positivity and motivational reinforcement for this project. Heidi and Pierre are great, but she is sick like many of us and he's her caretaker.

My daughter was inspired by the White Ribbon Project

My daughter really wanted to be a part of this and help others. She's lived with my diagnosis for over half of her life and is now a Junior in high school and an avid volleyball player at Glynn Academy. She also belongs to a historical sorority in Glynn County called, The Pirates of the Spanish Main. She texted the captain at the beginning of November asking if the community service organization could paint these ribbons to distribute to lung cancer patients. The captain's response was, "Heck yeah, I love it!" Under her leadership, The Pirates got to work.

St. Simons Island's White Ribbon Project build

So began the inaugural The White Ribbon Project build on St. Simons Island. Home Depot sponsored the plywood, brushes, and paint. Several local carpenters volunteered to cut the ribbons. The Pirates of the Spanish Main suited up to begin painting on November 27, 2021 (my 9-year cancerversary) near the pier on the island. Altogether, they created close to 100 ribbons.

People were walking by and given fact sheets about lung cancer. So many didn't realize it was the largest cancer killer of both men and women, yet one of the least funded per death. I made a poster showing many of the young women who were considered to be my friends that I had lost to this disease. So many of them had young families. The general consensus among The Pirates and the public was pure shock. They could not believe the number of young families on the poster board.

A hopeful future for the youth

It was a successful day and our youth OUTSIDE of the lung cancer community were able to learn and be educated. The audience we need to reach is our youth and people outside of the lung cancer community. Stories about young patients draw people in, making them want to learn more because they can better relate. Telling the same old stories hasn't been effective. That is the definition of insanity.

And before this project, I had reached that point. I gave Chris Draft 48 ribbons we made, but the news in Savannah did not credit The Pirates. So, in the future, we are going to deliver the ribbons ourselves, pre-planned and not last minute. The patients need to see how much these young women truly care. We want these girls to WANT to continue this project. Because odds are a few of them will end up with lung cancer and we need to be able to fight it better. And we want them proud of their accomplishment and not have anyone else unintentionally take credit for their hard work.