Left to right: Brandon Woodruff, president, Alpha Phi Alpha Kappa Xi chapter; Caleb Paschall, CFT, coordinator, Adaptive Recreation and Exercise, Campus Recreation; LaDarius Jevon Fitzgerald Sr., vice president, Alpha Phi Alpha Kappa Xi chapter; Cary A. Greenwood, Ph.D., assistant professor, public relations, School of Journalism, College of Media and Entertainment; and Dr. James T. Carter, Comprehensive Breast Center specialist and past president, Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, P.A.
Dr. Cary Greenwood, an assistant professor of public relations in the School of Journalism, went public for the first time about her successful battle against breast cancer at a special MTSU event sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity’s Kappa Xi chapter. “The Pink Out,” a free public forum on Oct. 22, featured Greenwood, her surgeon and an MTSU exercise specialist.
“That isn’t something that I shared with a lot of people because, frankly, I had a lot to do and I needed to focus,” said Greenwood, who received the first “Courage Award” from the Kappa Xi chapter at the event.
LaDarius Fitzgerald, a senior from Memphis, Tennessee, majoring in exercise science and Kappa Xi vice president, convinced Greenwood to come forward because his fraternity wanted to tackle the issue.
“They hear about it,” Fitzgerald said of general student awareness. “They see people wear pink on TV when October rolls around. They really don’t know the true meaning. They really don’t know the causes. They really don’t know what to look for.”
The fraternity also sponsored two breast-cancer information tables in the Keathley University Center and Student Union lobbies.
“My thought process was, if this could help someone, and if this is going to start additional awareness through an organization that is going to continue to promote it, it’s the right thing to do,” Greenwood said.
Caleb Paschall, adaptive recreation and exercise coordinator at MTSU’s Campus Recreation Center, worked with Greenwood on changing her weightlifting protocol following her lumpectomy and lymph node removal this past May. Joining Greenwood on the panel was Paschall and Dr. James Taylor Carter, a surgeon with Murfreesboro Medical Clinic.
“For cancer survivors, our training style allows … enough flexibility to restore function that may have been lost through treatment, rebuilding strength after chemo or surgery, for instance, as well as continuing to work toward more traditional goals like weight loss or improved muscle tone,” Paschall said.
“Breast cancer is one of the most fear-inducing diagnoses in a woman’s life and can occur at almost any time in her adult life,” added Carter. “Modern therapies can often turn the tide in the fight for a cure.”
The MTSU forum included a period for audience questions, answers and comments. Most attendees wore pink to show support.
Thank you to MTSU News and Media Affairs.
The Leading Edge 
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