NATCHEZ — It’s not every day you see dozens of bras hanging on the bluff over the Mississippi River.

But those who stopped by Bras on the Bluff Saturday got a peep at nearly 80 decorated bras of all colors, sizes and themes, all in the name of breast cancer awareness.

Bras on the Bluff attendees paid $1 to vote for their favorite bra, and the bra that raised the most money won.

 

Voters must have appreciated Ramee Thompson’s humor when she painted the faces of Thing One and Thing Two from Dr. Seuss’ “Cat in the Hat” on the bra she entered in the competition in memory of her sons Richard and Tyler.

Thompson took home first place in the competition and raised $171.

Richard, a cancer survivor, was killed in a car wreck at the age of 30 in 2011. Tyler, 21, lost a battle with leukemia in 2008.

“Richard was so competitive, and he was funny, too,” Thompson said. “I think they both would be laughing right now.”

Bras on the Bluff was spearheaded by Team Tatas, a Miss-Lou Relay for Life team, to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness.

Captain Meg Freeman, a breast cancer survivor, said she was surprised by the number of bras that were donated to the cause.

“They just kept coming in and coming in,” she said.

Bras on the Bluff raffled off more than $11,000 worth of goods from 85 local businesses, including two mammograms and two readings to women without health insurance.

The event also featured food, music from Speakeasy, Ben Lewis and others, and vendor booths.

Breast cancer survivor Tina Riad, founder of Ta-Tas to Go, traveled from McComb to be at Bras on the Bluff. Riad was selling her Ta-Tas To Go, adjustable bra fillers filled with micro-beads.

Riad, who had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer two-and-a-half years ago, experimented with bra fillers after deciding breast prosthesis were not for her. She perfected the design and now sells the inexpensive Ta-Tas to Go.

“I just believed this was my mission, to go out and help those women who had mastectomies or lumpectomies and can’t afford prosthesis or surgery,” she said.

Friends and Relay for Life volunteers Julia Drews, Sherry Kaiser, Jan Simpson and Brenda Bennett helped organize Bras on the Bluff and got together and made seven bras for the event.

A couple of the bras were in honor of their friend Beth Foster, who died in 2002 after a multi-year battle with breast cancer.  Drews also has a pink ribbon tattooed on her leg in memory of Foster.

Events like Bras on the Bluff and Relay for Life, Drews said, are crucial to raising money for awareness and research for breast cancer.

“It’s an opportunity to educate, while also bringing the community together,” she said.

While just about everyone on the bluff got a kick out the public display of bras, Freeman said the ultimate goal of the event and all the fun is to bring awareness to a serious issue. “It’s about education and early detection,” she said. “Please go get a mammogram. It could save your life.”