By Jaimie Julia Winters
For more than two decades, Emma Quintana has turned her own experience with breast cancer into a support system for women facing the disease.
Quintana, a Kearny resident and breast cancer survivor, founded Mujeres Valientes — Spanish for “Brave Women” — after experiencing firsthand the fear and uncertainty that accompany a cancer diagnosis. What began as a local support group has grown into a community network serving patients, survivors, and their families in the West Hudson area.
The group’s message is straightforward: “Mammograms Save Lives.”
That message will again be visible throughout Kearny this month as the town marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its annual Tie Kearny Pink campaign.
The town will hold its annual Tie Kearny Pink event from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Kearny Town Hall Park, 402 Kearny Ave. The event includes a flag-raising, pink-ribbon tying, and a health fair hosted by Mayor Carol Jean Doyle.
The ribbon-tying tradition, which has continued for more than 17 years, is more than a symbolic gesture for Mujeres Valientes. Members tie pink ribbons around trees throughout Kearny and surrounding neighborhoods, keeping breast-cancer awareness visible long after the ceremony ends.
Quintana’s work has also focused on a practical obstacle that can stand between women and early detection: access to screening.
Mujeres Valientes has partnered with the Town of Kearny and Minette’s Angels Foundation on breast-cancer awareness and screening efforts, including bringing mobile mammography to town.
The next opportunity is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 8, when University Hospital’s Mammography in Motion mobile unit is expected at Kearny Town Hall from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The 40-foot mobile unit provides 3D digital mammography, also known as breast tomosynthesis. According to the town and University Hospital, women 40 and older who have not had a mammogram within the previous year can receive screening without a doctor’s prescription if they are asymptomatic, although an appointment is required.
The program accepts health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. Financial assistance is also available for eligible uninsured or underinsured women through programs supported by the hospital and community partners, including Minette’s Angels Foundation.
Appointments for the Oct. 8 screening can be made through the Town of Kearny’s event registration page or by calling 973-972-7327.
For Quintana and Mujeres Valientes, the work is about more than one day on the calendar.
The organization initially met at the former West Hudson Hospital and has continued to provide support not only to women diagnosed with breast cancer, but also to the family members and loved ones who face the disease alongside them. This year’s events continue that effort, pairing a highly visible reminder of breast cancer awareness with an opportunity for women to obtain screening close to home.
For those who can’t make the mobile screening, Cristie Kerr Women’s Health in Jersey City also offers mammograms.
