Northbrook Junior High Teacher Has Walked 10,000 Miles for Breast Cancer Awareness

NORTHBROOK, IL - A language arts teacher at Northbrook Junior High has walked more than 10,000 miles and raised more than $100,000 for breast cancer research over the last 16 years.

Wendy Hicks and her sisters formed the moniker "Sisters with Blisters" after breast cancer hit four of their cousins and an aunt, according to a news release from Northbrook School District 28.

“Blisters are a lot less painful than chemo,” Hicks said. “When I ask my students if they have a loved one or know someone who has had breast cancer, nearly half the class raises their hands.”

Hicks wears pink to school everyday, and encourages all her students to do so as well on Fridays in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Her classroom is filled with pink décor.

Every October, Hicks participates in an American Cancer Society fundraising walk every weekend. She hopes her efforts help find a cure in her lifetime.

“I don’t want any of my students to get it," she said. "That’s why I keep walking.”

Photo courtesy of District 28 / Northbrook Junior High School Language Arts teacher Wendy Hicks decorates her classroom in pink and promotes Breast Cancer Awareness month to students and staff.