Pink Chair Project: Easing the Pain

by Charles McGuigan 05.2025

Linda Tsironis Caruthers, at 73 years old, had just gone through surgery after a diagnosis of breast cancer. She rested in a remote-controlled recliner her daughter had brought to her, and her fingers played over the keyboard of her laptop, scrolling and Google-searching for medical recliners. She found a site called Pink Chair up in Connecticut, but there was nothing like it here in Richmond.  

“That was the seed of the idea for the Pink Chair Project RVA,” says Linda. “The more my committee and I talked the project through, we realized the recliner we wanted to provide was more than answering a physical need for breast cancer patients; the recliner would be as a healing chair for those housebound, confined for weeks and perhaps, even more for recovery, and would need a special place to be-- their own sanctuary for healing.” 

That was seven years go, and since that time Pink Chair Project RVA has distributed scores of medical recliners along with pillows and comforters to women recovering from mastectomies.

This September and October, every Richmonder can support the Pink Chair Project and have a lot of fun doing it. 

On September 12 head off to the links at the Pink Chair Open at Hunting Hawk Golf Club in Glen Allen. An 18-hole scramble, with lunch, prizes, and premium sponsor perks, and every swing helps deliver more chairs to patients who need them. Register for this event at https://events.golfstatus.com/event/pink-chair-project-rva-golf-tournament      

Then, on October 1, knock down a few pins at River City Roll by taking part in Bowling for Chairs, the 4th annual bowling party for the Pink Chair Project.  An evening of great food, raffles, a silent auction, and plenty of surprises. And with every strike you make and every spare you pick up, you’ll be scoring one for breast cancer survivors, easing their pain after the trauma of surgery. So become a sponsor today.

In association with the Hawthorne Cancer Center, Pink Chair Project RVA is dedicated to delivering comfort and support for post-surgery breast cancer patients. Their chairs—complete with quilts and comfort items—serve as a healing respite for those recovering. Many of their volunteers are survivors themselves, eager to give back and remind others they are not alone in their journey.

“Our mission and vision is to grant electric remote-controlled chairs for post-surgery breast cancer patients to heal in comfort,” according to the Pink Chair Project RVA. 

To learn more please visit https://pinkchairprojectrva.com/