Wheaton Franciscan – St. Joseph Hosts Breast Cancer Awareness Event
Sisters Network 2013 Gift for Life Block Walk engages Sherman Park Community
MILWAUKEE --In an ongoing effort to fight the war on breast cancer, Wheaton Franciscan St. Joseph Campus hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness Community Education Program on Saturday, Recently, as a part of the 2013 Gift for Life Block Walk. The event is organized each year by the Milwaukee Affiliate of the Sisters Network® Inc., a national organization focused on bringing attention to the impact breast cancer has in the African American community.
“At Wheaton, we want to do everything we can to increase the awareness of screening and early detection of breast cancer in the community in effort to help close the gap in breast cancer health disparities,” stated Rosha L. Hamilton, Director of Community and Patient Health Education Services for Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.
The keynote address was delivered by Hanadi Bu-Ali, MD who Chairs Wheaton’s Breast Program Leadership Team. She encouraged women to take charge in fighting the disease and discussed how to improve the odds to survive. “While more Caucasian women are diagnosed with breast cancer, the impact of the disease on African American women is much more devastating largely due to late stage diagnosis among other contributing factors,” stated Bu-Ali. She reinforced the importance of screening for early detection and how to decrease a women’s risk for breast cancer as well as its recurrence.
According to the ACS African American 2013-2014 Cancer Facts, the 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancer diagnosed in 2002 - 2008 among African American women was 78%, compared to 90% among whites.
According to Phyllis Holder, breast cancer survivor and President of the Milwaukee Affiliate Sisters Network® Inc., the 2013 Gift for Life Block Walk and educational program engaged nearly 100 participants in the Sherman Park Community to learn and share breast cancer awareness information.
Milwaukee Affiliate: www.sisters4cure.org