October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and at least one local organization marked the occasion with a celebration.
The Denise Roberts Breast Cancer Foundation held its 10th Anniversary Founder's Day Gala Oct. 18 in the Conga Room at L.A. LIVE.
About 250 attendees were hosted by actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and the nine-piece Latin salsa band Opa Opa. A representative from Councilmember Jan Perry's office was also on hand to present a resolution from the Los Angeles City Council to founder Denise Roberts in recognition of the foundation's 10th anniversary.
About 63,360 African-Americans are expected to die from cancer in 2009, the American Cancer Society reported on Sept. 30. Of those deaths, 6,020, or 19 percent, could be of black women from breast cancer, according to the Cancer Society.
Such statistics hardly seem like a cause for celebration, but according to the organization's website, the foundation celebrated "a decade of giving to live."
Although African-American women are not diagnosed with breast cancer at higher rates than white women, they die at greater rates, partly because of the late stage at which the cancer is often discovered.
"We need to bring this rate down," said Roberts, a 22-year survivor of the disease.
Roberts' personal mantra is, "Breast cancer is not a death sentence."
The Breast Cancer Awareness Month website states that the first observance was a weeklong program in October 1985. Raising the public's awareness of breast cancer and the need for access to mammography were the main goals of the event.
More than 20 years later, the public is still being made aware of this issue. Roberts says that early detection is crucial to success in the African-American community.
At 34, Roberts was married with two children, a small-business owner, and worked in the Hollywood entertainment industry. She never found a lump in her breast.
However, other symptoms such as fatigue and what Roberts credits as "knowing her body," told her something was amiss.
"The only reason I am alive is because I was aggressive enough to demand a mammogram," said Roberts. "I had insurance, but I was told I didn't need one because of my age and the absence of a lump."
After she passed the 10-year mark with no reoccurrence of breast cancer, Roberts decided that she wanted to do something, to give back and make a difference. So Roberts left her career behind and started the foundation to devote herself full time to the effort to make early detection commonplace in the African-American community.
"We encourage men and women to know their body, and if you can't be your own advocate, call us and we can help," she said.
Also working to end breast cancer is the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, founded in 1982. In March, the organization's board of directors chose Alexine Clement Jackson to be its chair.
A 23-year breast cancer survivor and the first African-American woman to head the organization, Jackson said that in addition to awareness, education and understanding the importance of early detection, the message she's trying to get out to African Americans is hope.
"Whenever I talk to people who have been diagnosed, I tell them there are over 2 million women and some men who have survived this, so you have a chance of being in that large number," Jackson said. "That's the reason we have devised the 'Circle of Promise' (program). We want people to promise to tell others, to work in their own communities, in casual conversations, to talk about breast cancer, to ask, 'Have you had your mammogram?' 'When was the last time you had your mammogram?' We're trying to save lives."
Jackson said she knew she was at risk because of a family history of breast cancer. Her mother died at the age of 29 when Jackson was 4 years old.
"My father said my mother never mentioned the word cancer, never complained about anything until about six months before she died," Jackson said. "Lots of women just didn't talk about it. We need to talk about it in our families; we need to tell our stories."
Virginia Martin agrees.
"Generations of women did not talk about their body parts, and they didn't talk about cancer, because it was a death thing, and nobody wanted to hear that," said Martin, a 20-year survivor and co-founder of the South Los Angeles-based Sisters Breast Cancer Survivors Network, which began in 1994. "We wanted to lift that veil of silence, bring it out in the open."
The need for early detection becomes clearer since, according to the American Cancer Society, African-American women have a slightly higher incidence rate of breast cancer before age 40, which is the age that many doctors recommend women begin to get regular mammograms.
Had Karin Stanford followed that advice, she might not be teaching at California State University, Northridge today. The 46-year-old professor of political science and Pan-African studies found a lump in her breast, almost by accident, when she was just 34 years old.
"I was getting dressed, about to go out one night, and just happened to pick up a breast self-exam card. I did the exam and felt a small lump. I did it again, to be sure, and there it was. I made a doctor's appointment the next day."
Stanford's experience with diagnosis, treatment and support as a young African-American woman inspired her to write a book, "Breaking the Silence: Inspirational Stories of Black Cancer Survivors," which details the stories of 48 African Americans who have all survived some form of cancer.
Knowing that survival — victory over cancer — is possible is a key to a healthy outlook.
Alexine Jackson says that she appreciates all of her 23 years of surviving breast cancer — all of her 11 grand children were born during that time period.
"Black women, we are the forefront because of our statistics. When my face is seen as the leader, I hope that someone will pay a little bit more attention," Jackson said. "Every woman's life is important; we want all women to be involved in the fight, because that's what it is going to take."
Information: Sisters Breast Cancer Survivors Network, www. survivorsofbreastcancer.org; The Denise Roberts Breast Cancer Foundation, www.tdrbcf.org; Susan G. Komen for the Cure, www.komen.org.
Thandisizwe Chimurenga is an Assistant Editor at the L.A. Watts Times.
Photo of cancer ribbon courtesy of minoritynurse.com; photo of Denise Robers, James and Debi Ingram by Bill Jones
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