The Pink Jet takes flight for Fox Cancer Center at Amigo Airsho

Among the high-performance aircraft that took to the skies at this past weekend’s Amigo Airsho, one carried a particularly meaningful message for breast cancer warriors and their families.

The Pink Jet, piloted by breast cancer advocate Stephanie Goetz, brought its mission of raising breast cancer awareness and inspiring hope to the Amigo Airsho at Fort Bliss’s Biggs Army Airfield.

The Pink Jet’s visit came during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual observance focused on increasing awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection.

For its performance in El Paso, The Pink Jet promoted the future Fox Cancer Center at Texas Tech Health El Paso. The aircraft’s appearance was sponsored by Steve and Nancy Fox and the Fox Family Foundation. Now under construction on our campus, the Fox Cancer Center will bring comprehensive care together under one roof, helping local patients avoid out-of-town trips for specialized treatment.

Before taking to the skies, Goetz shared her mission with breast cancer warriors at the Texas Tech Health El Paso Breast Care Center. On Thursday, Oct. 22, she met with patients and physicians at the center, bringing the message of hope behind The Pink Jet.

“The Pink Jet is to be that beacon of hope and light and inspiration and to remind people that there is possibility and years of thriving after a diagnosis — that it’s not the end,” Goetz said.

Goetz also encouraged those attending the visit to prioritize breast cancer screening and advocate for themselves and others. Her connection to breast cancer is personal: Her mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer after initially being told that something she felt was not an issue. Her mother is now cancer-free.

The Pink Jet is an L-39 Albatros, a former military jet flown by women. Through its air show performances, The Pink Jet organization raises awareness and money for breast cancer organizations.

For Goetz, meeting breast cancer warriors in person is at the heart of that mission.

“It’s at the core of what we do. Every woman that we see who’s gone through it, every gentleman who’s been impacted by it, we fly for them,” Goetz said. “When we’re up there flying with that pink smoke in the air, we know it’s for them.”

Nusenda: Another partner in the fight

The Thursday visit also welcomed another Texas Tech Health El Paso partner in the fight against breast cancer, Nusenda Credit Union. Earlier this month, Nusenda employees came to our campus for a volunteer service day and assembled 50 care kits for cancer patients. On Thursday, the kits were distributed to patients at the Breast Care Center.

The kits included items intended to offer patients comfort, encouragement and practical support, including breast cancer awareness bags, socks, water bottles, journals, personal care items and medical alert bracelets.

Nusenda is the title sponsor of Lighting Campus for Hope on Dec. 4, a holiday event at Texas Tech Health El Paso that raises money and awareness for the university’s cancer prevention programs. As title sponsor, Nusenda is donating $40,000 to support these life-saving initiatives that help Borderplex residents access breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings.

For breast cancer warriors Kate Slaughter and Celia Ray, Goetz’s visit carried a message they know firsthand: the importance of screening and support throughout a cancer journey.

Slaughter, 50, was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer last year after a mammogram detected the disease. Her provider had encouraged her for years to get the screening, but Slaughter kept putting it off.

“My provider kept telling me year after year to go get it done,” Slaughter said. “This time, I was afraid of going back to see her without having done it, so I went and got it done.”

The mammogram detected her cancer, and Slaughter went on to undergo chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Ray’s cancer was also discovered through a routine mammogram. Unlike Slaughter, Ray said she had consistently received annual screenings. She had no symptoms or other indication that she had breast cancer when a mammogram led to her Stage 1 ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosis in December 2025.

“I tell people all the time how important screenings are. I go every year. I had no warning, no symptoms,” Ray said. “I don’t know how much more I can emphasize it.”

Ray underwent a bilateral mastectomy in February and reconstructive surgery in September. She said the support she received from her family, friends and care team helped her navigate a period that could otherwise feel overwhelming.

“I was lost. I was just following whatever they told me,” Ray said. “I don’t even remember half of it. That’s why I was trying to have somebody with me, because you’re just in a fog.”

Ray said every person’s experience with breast cancer is different, something she has learned through her own journey and from meeting other breast cancer warriors.

“Every cancer is different. Mine is not like Kate’s, and Kate’s is not like mine,” Ray said.

A mission that takes flight

At the Amigo Airsho, Goetz and The Pink Jet joined an aviation lineup headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team.

For Steve and Nancy Fox, bringing Goetz and The Pink Jet to El Paso presented an opportunity to extend The Pink Jet’s message of awareness and hope to families across our Borderplex while highlighting the importance of cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and support.

The Fox Cancer Center is a partnership between Texas Tech Health El Paso and University Medical Center of El Paso, the university’s primary teaching hospital. Together, the two institutions are combining the strengths of academic medicine and community-based healthcare to establish the region’s first comprehensive cancer center.
Texas Tech Health El Paso and UMC are collaborating to bring together oncology specialists, advanced cancer treatment, research, clinical trials, education and support services to provide comprehensive cancer care close to home.

That commitment to providing cancer care close to home already includes the Texas Tech Health El Paso Breast Care Center. The center provides local patients with comprehensive, high-quality breast cancer care, including advanced imaging services, personalized treatment plans and access to a multidisciplinary team of specialists. This approach provides patients with seamless care from diagnosis through treatment.

Goetz said facilities that provide clinical care alongside emotional and mental support can make a critical difference for people navigating cancer. During her visit, she said the future Fox Cancer Center will help extend that support to more people in the community.

“We are thrilled to be here to support everything you’re doing here and then eventually Fox Cancer Center and everything that it’s going to do, especially for those who really need it in the community,” Goetz said.

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