Prince George's nonprofit helps breast cancer families, fundraiser sustains support

A Prince George’s County nonprofit spent its latest fundraiser making a simple case: breast cancer support is not just about awareness ribbons, it is about whether families can get to treatment, buy groceries and keep a household running when illness takes over.

The annual golf classic in Largo helped sustain that work by funding practical services for people facing breast cancer, including rides to appointments, help with grocery shopping and other daily support that is easy to overlook until a family needs it. In a county where treatment can mean long drives, missed shifts and extra caregiving duties, those services can determine whether care stays manageable or becomes another crisis.

That need lands in a county with a difficult cancer landscape. State and county data show Prince George’s has one of the highest breast cancer mortality rates in Maryland, and county leaders said in 2023 that it was the only county in the state without a cancer center. Prince George’s County launched its Prince George’s Goes Pink campaign in 2022 to support men and women, educate the community and promote early detection, underscoring how often local health policy has to lean on outreach as much as medicine.

The transportation piece is especially important. The American Cancer Society reported in April 2023 that delayed care because of a lack of transportation is associated with higher emergency room use and increased mortality risk among adults with and without a cancer history. For families already juggling treatment, recovery and caregiving, a ride to an appointment can be as important as the appointment itself.

The broader cancer burden remains large as well. The American Cancer Society’s 2024 and 2025 statistics reports show breast cancer remains a major national health problem, even as mortality has continued to decline overall. Those gains have not erased the gaps that hit harder in places like Prince George’s County, where access, distance and cost still shape outcomes.

That is why a golf outing in Largo matters beyond the scorecard. The American Cancer Society says its golf classic program raises money for patient support, advocacy and research, and the same logic applies here: donor dollars can translate into transportation, groceries and a few hours of relief for a family trying to make it through treatment and recovery.