By Ashley Silver
Police1
BLACKFOOT, Idaho — Bringing awareness to breast cancer has become a personal goal for an Idaho sheriff’s office, after one of its own officers was diagnosed with the disease.
According to East Idaho News, pink badges were provided to Bingham County officers and staff members to wear in honor of jail staff member Donna Pilkington.
“Each one of these badges, every one of them has the same badge number on them, which is 357, which is one of our jail staff members Donna Pilkington, who has been fighting it,” Bingham County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Lawrence Henrie told East Idaho News. “She’s been an instrument in our agency and working in our jail and in our courts. For all of us to be able to support her is an awesome deal.”
Henrie posted a picture on Facebook showcasing his pink badge, a symbol of hope and a reminder that people are successfully fighting and defeating the disease each day with the help and support of others.
Cpl. Donna Pilkington has been employed with Bingham County for 26 years, according to East Idaho News. Pilkington was shocked when she was presented with a pink badge of her own, in awe of the kind gesture by her fellow officers.
“I had no clue. It was a big surprise to me. The new sheriff (Jeff Gardner) introduced the badge to the whole group and presented it to myself in front of everybody and it was just very humbling knowing that I had that kind of support,” she told the media platform.
Pilkington was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, undergoing surgery and radiation treatments to cure the disease. She reflected on how supportive her department was throughout that tumultuous time.
“I was out of work for a while and then on light duty for quite a while. People were able to donate hours to help me keep paychecks coming in,” she said. “Work was extremely supportive. (I) couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The corporal is currently back on duty and was told by doctors her cancer is now gone. Consequently, the pink badges at the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office now serve as a symbol of victory.
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