By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Steve Pegues with the Pink Heals Birmingham chapter didn’t hesitate when asked about the impact the organization’s pink fire trucks have when they make surprise visits to women battling cancer.

“We don’t just pull up unannounced. We come in with lights and sirens going so they know we’re there to support them,” Pegues said. “When we make home visits, a lot of times it’s a single mom or someone living by themselves, and they don’t have that support network. We want to show them we are behind them all the way.

“We get a huge response out of it. There are so many people on each tour that we get to impact,” Pegues added.

Two of the organization’s pink trucks, Diane and Becky, make a stop at Alabaster’s Shelby Baptist Medical Center on Oct. 24 to allow hospital staff and visitors to sign the trucks in memory or honor of a loved one who faced or is facing a battle with cancer.

While some may just see retired fire apparatuses with a new paint job, the vehicles have a much more personal meaning for Pink Heals.

“All of our vehicles have a name,” Pegues said. “When we come to events like this, we don’t say ‘I’m going to take the truck down to Shelby Baptist.’ We say ‘I’m going to take Diane to Shelby Baptist.’”

All of the organization’s vehicles are named in honor of someone who is battling cancer, who lost their battle with cancer or who are cancer survivors. Diane, a full-size fire engine, was donated to Pink Heals by the Pelham Fire Department in honor of a Pelham firefighter’s mother, and Becky, a former Hoover Fire Department administrator’s vehicle, is named in honor of the mother of the department’s former chief.

Although the trucks make the most visits in September and October surrounding Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the vehicles are intended to support all women battling any type of cancer. When Pink Heals makes a home visit, they always leave behind a stuffed bear wearing pink fire gear as a reminder of the organization’s support, Pegues said.

“We tell them if some days are harder than others, just hug the bear and know Pink Heals is hugging you back,” he said. “Every tour we go on is special, because we know we are having an impact on their lives.”