Breast Cancer Symposium Is Great Success

Over 250 women attend seminars

By Sid Riley

The Sixth Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Symposium was held at the Ag Center last Thursday. It was a great event.

Over 250 women attended this very worthwhile effort to educate, stimulate, and activate women’s awareness of this terrible cancer which annually impacts so many beautiful, productive women in our communities. You do not have to look very far to find a friend, relative, or acquaintance that has battled this disease. It is lurking among us.

This year’s event was generously sponsored by Jackson Hospital, Jackson County Health Department, Dr. Steve Stokes, Luana Granger-Ramsey, WTVY TV, and Oglesby’s Plants International. The program featured two outstanding speakers, both of whom are involved in the latest research efforts on the front battle lines against breast cancer.

Genetic specialist Emily Burke, MS, explained genomic science and how it is being used to learn more about breast cancer. This diagnostic testing analyzes the molecular composition of tumors, and through that analysis can predict results from alternate programs of treatment. She was introduced by Kathryn Jordan. She gave each attendee a “Beads of Hope” bracelet which depicted tumor sizes, beginning with a very small and progressing to a very large bead in the bracelet. With each size, statistics on survival were detailed. It was a very effective way to tell the story.

The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Kirby Bland, a nationally recognized leader in breast cancer research and a top executive at the Birmingham Cancer Center. He was introduced by Dr. Steve Stokes, MD. He presented a revealing story on current and developing treatment programs, as well as new drugs which are in the developmental stage. He presented statistics on the occurrence of breast cancer, which demonstrated a significant increase which he attributed to better early detection programs and educational programs…..such as this symposium.

The third speaker on the program was Lucille Latham, an Avon Breast Care Educator who was introduced by Lanet James, a survivor.

Organizers were very pleased with the turnout for the event and the quality of the program. The overriding objective of this annual event is to heighten awareness among women in the Jackson County area, and to hopefully help save some lives which would be lost if early detection had not occurred.

The Jackson County Times is proud to have assisted in the promotion of this event, and hopefully the positive impact our “Breast Cancer Survivor” series has created during the month of October.