By: TJ Dunnivant
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Community Health and Resource Fair at Jackie Robinson YMCA conducted free breast cancer screenings. The resource fair is being held in the parking lot of the Jackie Robinson YMCA every first Wednesday of the month, where members of the surrounding communities can go and get their blood pressure, sugar level checks and other health care concerns addressed. This past week Flu and Covid vaccines were on offer, as well as a mobile pet vet for free furry friends check-ups.
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, organizers of the monthly health fest made sure resources like the Mobile Mammography coach and the Many Shades of Pink organization were onsite to ensure community members had access to important breast exams, early detection screenings, mammogram equipment, and educational information on how to conduct self-examinations routinely.
“If you know better, you do better,” said Many Shades of Pink Founder, Wendy Shurelds. “After surviving breast cancer, I started this foundation so that women of color could have more access to early detection measures.”
Dr. Suzanne Affalo is the main organizer of the event and she said, “We’ve been having this health fair for about 6 years now. This has been our most successful site so far.”
Dr. Afflalo was all smiles, with joyous energy as if she were watching miracles unfold before her eyes. “Our data shows that these services are going mostly to Black and brown communities,” she proudly exclaimed. “18% of the people we serve are African American and 70% are Hispanic.”
After a while, a presenter took to the microphone to reiterate the higher survival rate statistics found through early detection and routine screenings. The speaker was encouraging participants to take advantage of the additional resources accessible to them that day.
According to Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (bcpp.org), breast cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 59. African American women have a 31% breast cancer mortality rate – the highest of any U.S .racial or ethnic group.
To access your free breast exam visit Many Shades of Pink at mymsop.org.
