By Cindy Kranz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MADISONVILLE - Tucked away in a medical building basement, four teenagers whose lives have been indirectly touched by cancer work diligently to provide some comfort to women diagnosed with breast cancer.

The teens meet monthly on Saturdays to fill Pink Ribbon Bags with comfort items and educational materials.

The Pink Ribbon Project is the handiwork of Taylor Pomeranz, a 17-year-old Cincinnati Country Day senior who established the Cris Collinsworth ProScan Foundation two years ago.

The foundation provides free bags to anyone diagnosed with breast cancer. By the end of this month, the teen volunteers will have filled about 500 bags since the project began.

"People are just really, really grateful," the Indian Hill girl said. "We get a lot of positive feedback, because there's nothing like it. I think it's so essential. You've just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Where do you start? It gives them a starting place."

Contents include a cassette player with batteries, meditation tape, inspirational books, educational medical materials, a journal, colored pencils and pen to record thoughts and draw pictures to visualize healing, a satin pillowcase for comfort after hair loss, a herbal eye pillow to help with relaxation, and peppermints to help prevent mouth sores during chemotherapy.

Taylor and Zach Hurwitz, a 17-year-old Seven Hills senior, are in charge of inventory and ordering. When they're running low, they call suppliers to restock. Some items are free. Otherwise, they pay for them from funds raised by the Pink Ribbon Luncheon and Dinner, held annually in October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The idea started with Alyson Barnard, a former Cincinnati woman diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995. Three years later, she created the Pink Ribbon Bag to bring comfort to women newly diagnosed with cancer.

Meanwhile, Taylor became interested in helping women after doing a sophomore English paper on digital versus film screening mammography. It was about the time when her dad, Dr. Steve Pomeranz, opened the ProScan Women's Imaging Center in Madisonville.

While researching the topic, she was most startled by statistics that showed 40 percent of women don't get regular mammograms because of their cost. That's when she started the ProScan Foundation.

The foundation has further developed and expanded the Pink Ribbon project and started the Mammography Match, which provides free mammograms to women who cannot afford them.

Awareness is one reason Taylor embarked on this project.

"It creates an awareness, not just at the adult level, but among kids my age," she said. "It's really important to create an awareness at a younger age. That's the whole part of prevention and detection. That's really what it's all about - getting the word out there. Eventually, at some point in your life, you will encounter it. You will be in that situation where someone close to you is affected by something, very probably, cancer."

Taylor has friends at school whose mothers have died or have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. The other three volunteers have encountered cancer or the threat of cancer in their families.

"My Dad died when I was 9 of brain cancer, so even though it's not a direct connection, I feel like I'm helping a lot of people," Zach said. "My best friend's mother survived breast cancer twice. We all have our different reasons for doing it, but I feel like, indirectly, I'm helping to combat something that has hurt me in my life."

Kyle Hynden's mom had a cancer scare a couple of years ago. After a mammogram, she had a biopsy. "It was one of those times where your heart just kind of drops," said the 17- year-old Cincinnati Country Day senior from Indian Hill. His mother didn't have cancer, but the close call touched him enough that he wanted to help with the project.

Zach Green, a 17-year-old Cincinnati County Day senior, got involved because his mom had breast cancer. She was diagnosed when he was in eighth grade.

"She went through the regular treatment for it," the Greenhills youth said. "She went through chemotherapy and radiation. Then, she had the mastectomy, just to be sure. She's fine."

The intentionally small cadre of volunteers - no more than five or six - commit to the project through high school. They gather about once a month for two to three hours to fill 75 bags.

After Taylor graduates, she plans to enlist her younger siblings to carry on, but always plans to be involved.

"Just because you're 17 years old or just because you're still in high school, that doesn't mean you have to wait until you grow up," Taylor said. "If you want to do something, do it."

Breast cancer's toll

An estimated 211,300 new cases of breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United States during 2003, according to the American Cancer Society.

An estimated 40,200 deaths (39,800 women and 400 men) are anticipated from breast cancer in 2003. Breast cancer ranks second among cancer deaths in women.

ProScan offers bags

Pink Ribbon Bags can be picked up at the ProScan Women's Imaging Center, 4850 Red Bank Expressway, Madisonville, and other health care facilities. For information, call Casey Smith at The Pink Ribbon line, (866) 557-PINK (7465).

This year's Pink Ribbon Luncheon is noon Oct. 30 at the Manor House in Mason. The luncheon features Dr. Jerri Nielsen, who diagnosed herself with breast cancer and performed her own biopsies and chemotherapy while stranded at the South Pole. She will also speak at a 7 p.m. dinner at The Waterfront, Covington. The cost is $60 for the luncheon and $250 for the dinner.

For information about luncheon and dinner or to be placed on the mailing list for future events, call The Pink Ribbon Line.

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E-mail ckranz@enquirer.com