City of Hope honors eight women with pink jackets in Goodyear

Kenya Carmichael smiled as she received a pink jacket Oct. 26 at City of Hope Cancer Center Arizona in Goodyear.

The labor and delivery nurse, Air Force veteran and mother of two was among eight women honored during a breast cancer awareness ceremony. Patients, families and care teams gathered to celebrate them.

One by one, the women were called forward to recieve their jackets. Elizabeth Parra, the center’s director of outpatient services, introduced them, describing each of their unique stories.

“Today we are proud to recognize these women as they receive their pink jackets,” Parra said. “Each has faced breast cancer in her own way. Each has demonstrated remarkable courage and has chosen to share her story in the hope of encouraging, comforting or inspiring others.”

Dr. Marnee Spierer, chief of radiation oncology at City of Hope, connected the jackets to the pink lab coats she and her colleagues wear as a reminder to patients that they are not alone.

“These jackets are not simply validation of what they have endured,” Spierer said. “They represent the lives they are continuing to lead.”

Spierer discussed how new research has helped doctors better understand breast cancer treatments. She also shared her own family’s cancer history, including her sister’s breast cancer diagnosis.

The honorees’ experiences reflected different stages of life with and after cancer. Carmichael was diagnosed in 2024 and had a double mastectomy and reconstruction. At the same time, she was grieving the death of her mother. 

Laurie Sicaeros, the center’s president, recognized the family members, friends and caregivers for their support.

“You walk beside patients through appointments, treatments, uncertainty, and recovery,” Sicaeros said. “Your role matters deeply.”

Sicaeros encouraged women to know their risk and talk with their health care providers.

Spierer said she is counting on research to help the next generation understand its cancer risk and what they can do about it.

“That is the promise of research,” she said. “It gives us the opportunity to understand risk earlier, detect cancer sooner and develop better options for our patients.”

Noah Flug
Reporter | Litchfield Park and Goodyear

nflug@iniusa.org

Community: Litchfield Park and Goodyear

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in Digital Audiences from Arizona State University

Random Fact: I only have one biological cousin.

Hobbies: Watching movies and TV, spending time with my friends, aspiring stoic.