Students don pink for breast cancer
By KATIE RAND
News Writer
As part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Saint Mary's Residence Life Association is doing its part to educate students about the disease by sponsoring Breast Cancer Awareness Week from Oct. 11 to 18.
"We had Breast Cancer Awareness Week last year, so it was just assumed that we would do it again this year," said Amber Taylor, health awareness chairperson for the Residence Life Association.
Breast cancer awareness week kicked off with "wear Pink Day" and by selling pink ribbon pins. On Sunday, Student Activities Board and Health & Wellness co-sponsored a viewing of "Stepmom," featuring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. In the movie, Sarandon portrays a mother dying of breast cancer. The film shows every aspect of the disease, from the numerous doctor's appointments and consultations to the reaction of her two young children when she tells them she is ill.
"Health Services has been really helpful with all of this. They have been at all of our events helping inform students, giving out fact sheet with statistics on how it [breast cancer] affects people our age. They also have been giving out stickers to put in our planners to remind students to do a monthly self exam," said Taylor.
Breast cancer self-test instruction hangers have also been placed in the showers around campus. The week will culminate this Thursday with another "Wear Pink Day" and a few night events. At 9 p.m. on Thursday there will be a candlelight walk down The Avenue starting at the Holy Cross Hall flagpole, followed by a prayer service at Holy Cross Chapel at 9:30 p.m..
Residence Hall Association is also helping to fund free mammograms by advertising for www.thebreastcancersite.com. Clicking on the site helps fund mammograms for homeless, battered and working poor women. Links are also provided for various other sites such as J.Crew, Chadwick's of Boston and Bare Necessities. By shopping at these sites through the links, more money will be donated to fund mammograms.
An estimated 41,000 American women will die from breast cancer this year alone, and approximately 192,200 new cases will be discovered, according to www.thebreastcancersite.com.
All News Stories for Tuesday, October 16, 2001
