October 1, 2008

October is designated as breast cancer awareness month. Wednesday, Bay Area Hospital sponsored a program called, Spirit of Wednesday, that is a positive way of dealing with breast cancer. It's new campaign designed to empower women.

Willodean Smith's had 17 years to collect pink jewelry. Pink is the color used to heighten the positive spirit of defeating breast cancer. She's a registered nurse at Corpus Christi Medical Center, and also a breast cancer survivor.

"I did not have metastasis. It had not spread into the lymph nodes, so I was very blessed, and I'm doing well"

Following a mastectomy there was chemotherapy. She now says very prayerfully and thankfully, "I'm a survivor."

It's estimated one in 35 women will die from breast cancer.

One in 8 women will get breast cancer.

Radiation Oncologist Gerard Voorhees spoke at Wednesday's atrium luncheon, a luncheon, that's part of a partnership between Corpus Christi Medical Center and a women's health awareness campaign called "Spirit of Women."

Doctor Voorhees says there's been some positive advancements in his line of work. In surgery, there's now skin sparing mastectomies,
targeted chemotherapy, and targeted radiation, using a balloon catheter that's placed in the breast

"The radiation source is placed in the catheter," said Voorhees, "instead of having 7 weeks of treatment, ladies can have their treatment in one week, twice a day."

There's also the discovery of two breast cancer genes for those women who carry it.

"They'll begin their annual screening at an earlier age at the age of 30, and often times will combine mammography with MRI."

There are some women with the breast cancer gene who make the personal and radical decision to have both breasts removed, thus eliminating the danger.

But, for Smith when asked what other women should take away from her story.....

"Get your mammograms ladies!"