Alpha Kappa Delta Phi hosted a brunch Wednesday
to raise awareness, money and support for
breast cancer and its survivors. The two-hour event
featured guest speakers Nancy Harris from VCU’s
Office of Health Promotion and VCU student and
13-year cancer survivor Dora Callahan.
Harris spoke to the audience about steps students
can take to keep themselves healthy, especially
their breasts.
“You are the expert when it comes to your own
body,” she said.
She urged students to take preventative steps,
such as performing a self-exam every month and
having a doctor perform a clinical exam once a
year.
This is important, she explained, because
symptoms commonly go unnoticed for the first
months. Harris said that although there are often
no symptoms of breast cancer, there are things
that can increase or decrease a woman’s risk of
breast cancer.
“White women are at greater risk than African-
American women,” she said. “But African American
women are more likely to die if they get breast
cancer.”
Age, as well as race, can affect a woman’s risk of
breast cancer, Harris said. Of women 39 or younger,
one in every 229 has breast cancer, Harris said. One
in every 24 women in the 40 – 59 age group has
cancer and one in every 13 women has cancer in
the 60-79 age group, Harris said.
Ways to reduce the risk of developing breast
cancer include maintaining a healthy weight, eating
a low-fat diet, exercising regularly and performing
regular breast exams.
Harris also exposed some myths surrounding
breast cancer. Underwire bras, deodorant, birth
control pills and breast implants have no effect on
a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer, she said.
Callahan recounted that her battle with breast
cancer took all her will power, family and faith to
overcome.
When she found out she had cancer, “I planned
my own funeral,” she said.
But because of her faith, her husband and three
children, and that she “took it one step at a time,”
she said, she has recovered fully.
She urged anyone struggling with breast cancer to
be patient and strong throughout the battle. Harris
encouraged the audience to seek counseling at a
free 24-hour hotline for victims of breast cancer
as they recovered. The number for the hotline is
(800) 221-2141.
Throughout the event, students bought raffle
tickets and bid on items in a silent auction. The
items were donated by local businesses, such as Yoga
Source, King’s Dominion and Kobe. All proceeds
from the event went to the Richmond affiliate of
the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The event, held at the University Student Commons
was part of Pink Week, a week devoted to
distributing information and raising awareness about
breast cancer. October is National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month.
Age People with breast cancer
0-39 1 in 229
40-59 1 in 24
60-79 1 in 13
To prevent breast cancer:
Exercise regularly
Maintain a healthy weight
Steer clear of high-fat foods
If you or someone you know has been
affected by cancer call (800) 221-2141.
This free hotline is staffed by trained peer
counselors and has access to translators
of 150 languages.
– Information provided by Nancy Harris,
women’s health coordinator for the Office
of Health Promotion