ABBEVILLE, KATC - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Data suggest about 6.1 million adults are treated for skin cancer a year.
This year marks another milestone for Abbeville Resident Kim Broussard who is being coined the shoe lady.
Her connection to helping the American Cancer Society runs skin deep. In December 2014, she was diagnosed with skin cancer.
“It didn’t itch, it didn’t flake, it was just brown and it started getting bigger and changing shape. I was devastated. You feel nervous, you feel like your world is turned upside down because you don’t know what the future is going to hold for you now. I was just floored, I knew it was something but I was hesitant to get it checked out,” Kim said.
Knowing what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes, Kim decided to give back through her organization “Donate Your Shoes.”
“I’m all about recycling and people have shoes and everybody has a lot of shoes they don’t wear,” she said.
The process is quite fascinating. Kim collects 3,000 pairs of gently worn shoes from the community before passing them to a non-profit organization called Funds2Orgs. The organization collects the shoes from Kim and the profit is sent to the American Cancer Society.
The shoes are later sent to 26 developing countries around the world. The footwear gets sold to micro-entrepreneurs for a fraction of the cost where they create opportunities for themselves.
Loving the skin she’s in, this 10 year Melanoma survivor is thankful she’s making a difference one shoe at a time.
“It makes me feel great, it makes me feel like I’m doing something. It’s important that the American Cancer Association has enough funds to be able to do research,” she said.
If you would like to donate, you can drop off sneakers, flip flops, boots, and heels at Piazza Office Supply.
Piazza Office Supply
301 Pere Megret St,
Abbeville, LA, 70510
Or contact Kim Broussard directly at 337-254-7727
