Headline: “Think Pink”



Headline: “Think Pink”

Sub head: Education is the key in October, National Breast Cancer Awareness month

     It looks like an explosion at a cotton candy factory.

     The pink bags are everywhere--unfolded, in stacks on the ground; lined one by one on a table, waiting to be stuffed; and stuffed and boxes, in stacks against walls, ready to be delivered.

    

     On the bags, in bold black letters are the words, “The Power of a Promise.” The promise made by Nancy Brinker to her sister Susan G. Komen before Komen was diagnosed and ultimately died from breast cancer was to make a difference and impact medical research and education on breast cancer. The words on the bag are a reminder that one person can make a difference.

     The bags, an outreach project organized by the San Diego affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, are stuffed with a nail file, nail polish, a compact mirror and a pink ribbon pin, attached to a brochure with information about breast cancer and breast self-examinations.

     Two Sundays in October, the bags will be delivered to two predominantly black churches in Oceanside and San Diego as a part of Komen’s outreach during National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

     Romenia Brown, a volunteer with Komen and one of the women helping with the outreach project, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 1998. She’d donated to Komen before and ran in the Race for the Cure every November. After her diagnosis, she wanted to do more.

     “I was sending checks, but I wanted to do more than write a check and walk in a race every year,” said Brown.

     Brown started to volunteer with the foundation and found the support she needed during her recovery.

     “Volunteering was my support,” said Brown. “And it helps. It helps a lot to talk to people who have been there and done that.”

     Nationwide, the death rates in African American women from breast cancer remain higher than in white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2010, the CDC hopes to see the rates decline.

     Brown’s battle with cancer wasn’t as bad as it could have been, she said.

      “I wasn’t worried so much about myself,” said Brown. “My daughter was four at the time and I kept thinking, ‘what’s going to happen to my child?’ I’m her mother and I want to be there.”

     Fortunately, Brown’s cancer was stage one cancer and didn’t require chemotherapy. After the diagnosis, Brown had the tumor removed and underwent radiation.

     She was prescribed tamoxifin, a drug that prevents the binding of estrogen cells with breast cancer cells, stopping the cancer from spreading or growing, and in 2001, Brown’s doctors told her that the cancer had entered remission.

     She would get to see her daughter grow up.

     Aside from the community of survivors and support Brown had at Komen, Brown said a positive attitude helped her fight cancer. Breast cancer survivors working alongside her on the outreach project agreed.

     Anne Justice was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in 2000. After a mastectomy and three separate chemotherapy sessions, doctors told Justice that her cancer was in remission.

     “It’s all about attitude,” said Justice. “You can feel sorry for yourself and you can ask yourself, ‘am I going to die today?’ But you can’t think like that. It only takes a minute to die; the rest of your life is so much longer.”

     Brown and Justice, along with Peggy Holl, said it’s exciting to see the large number of women who show up for the San Diego Komen Race for the Cure each year. Survivors of breast cancer wear pink shirts and hats and find themselves in “a sea of pink, said Holl.

     In October, Komen will also work with the Girl Scouts of America on a breast cancer education program. The girls, ages 12 and up, will earn a patch if they bring an older friend or family member to forum on breast cancer, organized by Komen.

     Education is key to helping detect and treat breast cancer, said Katie Parker, community outreach director for Komen.

      In 2002, over 211,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in the United States, and nearly 40,000 women died from the disease.

      ”I don’t think I haven’t known someone who hasn’t known someone who hasn’t been affected by breast cancer,” said Holl.

     Also in October, Komen will sponsor the third annual Jer’s Handmade Chocoloate Experience at the U.S. Grant Hotel. Tickets to the event are $40 in advance or $50 at the door and proceeds will go to support the Komen Foundation. Komen will also sponsor the 2003 Komen San Diego Race for the Cure on Sunday, November 2.

     Seventy-five percent of the proceeds from the Race for the Cure will go to fund more community outreach projects and breast cancer awareness programs throughout the year.

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