Educating Young Women
on Lifelong Breast Health
Behind the Cancer Headlines®
Recognizing that one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has launched the Young Women’s Initiative aimed at encouraging younger females to make a commitment now to life-long positive breast health practices.
On the Way to the Cure™ – The
Komen
College Tour launched at Rutgers University.
“It’s never too early to start practicing breast self-exams, eating right or exercising,” said Susan Brown, R.N., health educator for the Komen Foundation. “With this in mind, the initiative aimed at young women is more than an educational campaign or a one-time tour. The initiative will empower young women to make positive, life-long decisions about breast health that could save their lives.”
On the Way to the Cure™ – The Komen College Tour will travel in a pink vehicle, which serves as an interactive learning station and features computer kiosks, informational materials about breast cancer, breast self-examination (BSE) guides, opportunities for local involvement, and on-site health care personnel to answer questions and provide information on how to schedule a clinical breast exam (CBE) at the campus health center.
To give the tour a personal feel, an eight-foot “graffiti wall” will be constructed at each stop, giving students a chance to share a memory or pledge their personal support in the cause to end breast cancer. In many cases, the graffiti wall will remain on campus as a poignant reminder of the role every individual plays in the fight for a cure.
On the Way to the Cure™ – The Komen College Tour was made possible by funds from the Val Skinner Foundation, which hosts the annual LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) Event, a charity golf event featuring the greatest women golfers in the world from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. Skinner, a 20-year veteran and multiple winner on the LPGA Tour, began the Val Skinner Foundation and annual LIFE Event in memory of her LPGA touring professional and close friend, Heather Farr, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 24 in 1989 and died of the disease in 1993 at the age of 28. The LIFE Event has raised a remarkable $2.5 million for breast cancer awareness with a focus on young women.
“Taking the Young Women’s Initiative directly to college campuses is crucial to helping the younger female audience understand the importance of committing now to a life of positive breast health. Many young women believe ‘it can’t happen to me’ when it comes to breast cancer,” said Val Skinner. “Having lost a dear friend at such a young age to breast cancer, I am passionate about arming young women with the tools that could save their lives as we all work to find a cure for this disease. Enabling the Komen Foundation to extend its reach to young women through this college tour is a powerful step in that effort.”
On the Way to the Cure™ – The
Komen
College Tour will visit the following campuses:
Sept. 13 -
Sept. 14 - Penn State (
Sept. 15 - Morgan State University (
Sept. 16 -
Sept. 17-18 -
Sept. 20 -
Sept. 21 -
Sept. 22 -
Sept. 23 -
Sept. 24 -
For information about breast cancer and to learn more about On the Way to the Cure™ – The Komen College Tour, including site specifics, visit www.komen.org/college.
SOURCE:
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (http://www.komen.org)