Bras Across the River returns after two-year hiatus

MOSS POINT, Miss. (WLOX) - Bras hanging over the Jack Hanson Memorial Bridge plus a sea of pink walkers can only mean one thing: the return of Moss Point’s Bras Across the River Walk.

A walk where survivors of breast cancer can share their stories or a place where loved ones like DeAnn Mccollum can walk in place for them.

“Very vibrant, always on the go. I really miss her,” Mccollum said.

Mccollum lost her grandmother Betty Anderson, or “Betty Boop” to some, to the disease and says this walk will always be an important one for her.

“When I came across the bridge, I just broke out in tears. I broke out in tears and said, ‘Why grandma I’m here for you,’ so yes, it’s very meaningful to me.”

And a meaningful one for Damita Caldwell and her niece Khai Byrd-Green, who both lost someone who loved them the most.

“She was loving, kind; she was an educator and a counselor. She was a very supportive community involved person,” said Caldwell.

“My mom was a pretty person. She was really nice, and she was a great loving person,” said Byrd-Green. “We used to go out and eat and used to talk about our personality and how years ago and what happened and stuff, like stories that are really funny.”

Both women say walks like this one not only bring awareness to the disease, but bring hope to finding a cure someday.

“We hope to continue the fight and one day hopefully we have a cure and lose no one else to this dreaded disease, especially another woman,” said Caldwell.

“From the doctors, family, everybody needs to rally. This is a deadly disease, and we need to conquer it,” said Mccollum.

Organizers say this walk will continue to be an annual event after coming back from its two-year hiatus.

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