Sue Nagen discovered her mission four years ago when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"Her cancer was found with a mammogram. She was in her 80s, and it really struck me how important these tests are for all women of all ages," Nagen said.

This month, not only will NYSUT join the American Cancer Society as a flagship sponsor of the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks, the statewide union will urge members to complete postcard petitions to press Congress to ensure that all women have access to lifesaving mammograms.

Nagen will fill one out. And since she's working the NYSUT booth in Syracuse for the Sept. 30 walk, that means everyone who comes nearby will also, until the booth runs out of the colorful pink-and-white postcards.

"If there's anything I can do to make all women aware of how important a yearly mammogram is, I'll do it," said Nagen. A floral design teacher at the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES, she coordinates a pink carnation flower sale and also helps with pink cookie sales.

The postcards may make a bigger national impact, as they advocate more funding for community-based breast and cervical cancer screening programs, which now serve only one in five eligible women.

The postcards state, "Together we can change the odds." What's not stated, but Nagen knows, is that mammograms reduce mortality from breast cancer significantly because the disease takes years to develop. In the early stages, most breast cancers have no symptoms.

Now, with a family history of breast cancer, Nagen is particularly diligent. Her own mammogram revealed a clustering of non-cancerous cells that doctors removed.

NYSUT is working with the American Cancer Society to get the word out on the importance of mammography and to increase the number of women over the age of 40 who receive the annual exams.

Nagen's mother is doing well after her treatments.

"She's a really strong and independent woman," Nagen said. "She's had some luck, but the most important thing is she made the time and had the test."

This is NYSUT's sixth year as a flagship sponsor of the non-competitive walks to raise funds for awareness, screening and treatment programs, research and legislative efforts. Walks will be held Oct. 14 in Utica and Jamestown. On Oct. 21 activists walk in Albany, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Central Park, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Queens, Staten Island and Westchester. To register and raise money online, log on to main.acsevents.org/nysut.

Information on forming teams of walkers is available from NYSUT regional offices.