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Breast Cancer Photo Exhibit Draws Attention in
Pennsylvania
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Carolyn Shellenberger
44 at diagnosis |
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PBCC one of the effective groups educating women on
breast cancer
Aug. 19, 2005 Women fear breast cancer more than
heart disease, even though heart disease is the biggest killer. Many
have suggested this is because the groups that try to make women aware
of breast cancer have done such an effective job. Certainly one of the
best examples is the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, which is
bringing its dramatic traveling photo exhibit to the University of
Pittsburgh at Titusville.
"When I was first
diagnosed with breast cancer, my youngest child was only eight. Now, I
can hold her one-year-old son in my lap." Carolyn Shellenberger (photo
above)
The PBCC exhibit, "67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing
Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania," will be displayed in the J. Curtis
McKinney Student Union and Gymnasium.
This educational work of art features women from
each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, along with a message about how
breast cancer has touched their lives.
The women reflect the diversity of Pennsylvania,
and their stories reflect the impact of breast cancer on themselves,
their families and their communities. The exhibit encourages women to
learn about early detection and celebrates the life, courage, hope and
dignity of women and families who have battled breast cancer.
Pat Halpin-Murphy, PBCC President & Founder,
encourages everyone to visit the exhibit. "Breast cancer is not a rare
event separate from the fabrics of our everyday lives. It impacts our
mothers, daughters, friends and ourselves. We must educate ourselves
about this insidious disease and fight to find a cure now...so our
daughters won't have to."
"Age, race, career or socioeconomic class aside -
breast cancer can happen to any woman. The best defense available is
early detection and aggressive treatment. It all starts with being
aware, and that is why every woman and anyone who cares about them
should see this exhibit," said Anthony Nasralla, President & CEO of
Titusville Area Hospital.
The PBCC, founded in 1993, is a non-profit
organization and the only statewide grassroots organization that speaks
to and for breast cancer survivors. This year, more than 12,000
Pennsylvania women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. More than 2,300
will lose their lives to the disease. The PBCC's mission is to find a
cure for breast cancer and to improve the quality of breast cancer
education, research and outreach in the state.
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Breast Cancer in Older Women |
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A study of women diagnosed with breast
cancer between 1993 and 1997 found that the average 50-year-old
woman has about a 1-in-18 chance of developing breast cancer in
her next 20 years. The researchers said, on average, a
50-year-old woman has a 1-in-86 risk of developing breast cancer
in the next five years.
Although breast cancer is much more common
in older women than younger women, the risk of developing breast
cancer during the remainder of an older womans life is actually
lower than the risk for a newborn.
An older woman has already survived several
decades free of breast cancer, while a newborn is still at risk
of developing breast cancer (or dying of other causes) until she
reaches that particular age, says Cyllene R. Morris DVM, PhD,
of the Public Health Institutes California Cancer Registry in
Sacramento, California.. |
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Their Website is a good example of their
effectiveness and features photos and stories from the traveling
exhibit.
"67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in
Pennsylvania" is sponsored by the PBCC and funded by the Pennsylvania
Department of Health.
An opening reception, sponsored by Titusville Area
Hospital, is scheduled for Thursday, September 15 at 5:30 p.m. The
exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. To RSVP for the
reception, please call 1-800-377-8828 x303.
For more information please call 1-800-377-8828 or
visit the Website
http://www.pabreastcancer.org/.
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