Local landmarks to light up Tuesday for metastatic breast cancer awareness

The Big Duck, the Grumman planes in Calverton and other familiar Long Island landmarks will glow in teal, green and pink tonight, drawing attention to people living with metastatic breast cancer and the need for more research.

The North Fork Breast Health Coalition is hosting its first local #LightUpMBC event Tuesday, Oct. 13, joining a worldwide observance of Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

Behind the local effort are Barbara Grathwohl, Trisha Poole and Melanie McEvoy, three women whose determination helped bring the initiative to the community, according to the coalition.

Their effort follows a tradition of patient advocacy that helped establish the annual awareness day nearly two decades ago.

In 2007, members of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network began seeking local proclamations recognizing a day specifically for people with metastatic disease. The campaign grew into a national effort, with patients traveling to Washington in 2009 to advocate for congressional resolutions recognizing Oct. 13 as National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, according to the network’s history of the observance.

The push reflected patients’ concerns that their experiences and needs were overlooked during the broader observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The network describes a lack of support groups, educational materials and conferences specifically serving people with Stage IV disease when it was founded in 2004.

Tonight’s local event will give residents a chance to see the illuminated landmarks together, take photos and gather for a broadcast connecting participating communities around the world.

Participants will meet at the coalition’s office at 6 p.m. for a caravan and photo tour of Riverhead-area locations. A watch party will follow at the Village Idiot at 7:30 p.m., with appetizers and a signature cocktail. The global #LightUpMBC livestream begins at 8 p.m.

In addition to the Big Duck in Flanders and the Grumman planes in Calverton, participating locations include the Jamesport Meeting House in Jamesport; All Star Bowling Alley, Apple Honda and Sea Star Ballroom in Riverhead; and the Montauk Lighthouse in Montauk.

The event supports awareness and research through METAvivor, an organization dedicated to funding Stage IV metastatic breast cancer research, according to the coalition’s announcement.

Residents do not need a personal connection to breast cancer to participate. The coalition welcomes people to join the caravan, attend the watch party or visit one of the illuminated landmarks on their own.