National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer never concerned me until my best friend from college, Kitty Gretsch, told me her cancer had returned. That was January 2001; she died before the year’s end at the age of 34.

October, the time of ghouls, witches and pumpkins, is also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

My awareness hardly flickered until the disease confronted me and spread pain and loss among Kitty’s family and friends. I moved to Florida to care for her during the summer and learned about care-giving and loving someone who does not want to die.

She told me once, if ghosts really existed, she planned to come back and haunt people. I told to her come back and haunt me, just don’t scare me. But I am haunted anyway.

Her death, even after surgery for a double mastectomy, then chemotherapy and experimental bone marrow treatments, gnaws at me when someone mentions breast cancer.

Evidence of a concerted, campus-wide effort to alert students to facts and resources concerning breast cancer awareness is missing on campus. As a result, students reveal varying degrees of knowledge.

“I actually do not know anything about breast cancer,” said Kendra Sylver, a psychology student.

“I found a tumor in my breast when I was sixteen. I had a biopsy and found out it was benign,” she said. Sylver said she consistently performs self-examinations, despite no history of breast cancer in her family.

Even though finding the lump and going through the experience meant, for a while, she did not know if she was going to die, the 24-year-old still returned to her previous habits.

“Now I’m back to regular old me. I’m not supposed to have caffeine, but I love Pepsi too much,” the senior said. “I changed for a little while.”

Sylver said she saw a bulletin board in her dorm about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but another student learned about it when watching Sunday night NFL football.

“I was not aware until I saw players in the league wearing pink in recognition,” said Stephanie Keys, a health and wellness student.

Keys’ maternal great-grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in her mid-50s and underwent a mastectomy.

“She has been cancer-free since the procedure and is still alive in her mid-90s,” said the Newton native.

As for her own care, Keys said she regularly performs a self-examination.

“I was told by my gynecologist that the best time to do a self-exam is in the shower during the menstrual cycle,” she said.

“This allows me to make sure I have completed an examination at least once a month,” the 20-year-old said.

Another student, Larren Beach, made a commitment to raise awareness in her dorm.

“My bulletin board and program are on breast cancer awareness,” said Beach, the resident assistant for Ashe Hall, a women’s-only dorm with 25 single rooms.

“I chose it because there have been a lot of scares and actual incidents in my family, the 21-year-old said. “My great-aunt had a double mastectomy a couple of years ago, then reconstructive surgery.”

Beach said she wanted to see more information available on campus about preventative care, such as where people can go for free or low-cost mammograms.

Keys agreed.

“I would like UNCA’s Health Services to provide information on what measures can be taken to prevent breast cancer, especially methods other than annual screening. Mammograms are not possible for all women due to affordability and availability. Information, such as what diet changes can be made, would be a great help,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Many students rely upon the Health Services and Counseling Center for their information on breast health.

A regular visitor to the center for the last three years, Jessi Steelman said she never noticed any brochures on display about breast cancer.

“I didn’t know it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month until I was watching ‘Live with Regis and Kelly.’ He was wearing a tie with the ribbons on it,” the San Francisco native said.

Steelman’s family recently experienced a breast cancer scare.

“My aunt Julie, who is a smoker, has a rare spinal disease. She found a lump and had it tested. It was benign,” the Spanish student said.

Steelman said her mother made a connection between smoking and the risk of breast cancer since Steelman smokes.

“My mother said, ‘This is why you should quit.’ She’s a ‘nagaholic.’”

To monitor her health, the 25-year-old said she performs breast self-examinations when she thinks about it, but not regularly or every month.

“I do one, and my boyfriend helps me out with that,” she said.

The lack of a campus-wide event on Breast Cancer Awareness Month caught the attention of Linda Pyeritz, outreach coordinator for health and counseling at UNCA.

“The peer educators and I pick one main topic for each semester. The fall semester is alcohol awareness, and the second semester we chose sexuality and healthy relationships,” she said.

The center does offer students information on breast health in the exam rooms, according to Pyeritz.

“We’re very interested in the total body,” she said. “We focus on it in an everyday way.”

Students can also receive a referral if they have concerns about a genetic predisposition.

“We’re on top of that,” she said. “Students can start with us, and we can guide them. Asheville has resources and places that deal with genetic issues.”

Both women and men can have breast cancer, but the rates remain much lower for males.

“With any women’s health appointment, we ask. Also, when a male comes in, and it’s hard for them to come in, we’re sensitive,” Pyeritz said. 

1 comments

Pat MacEnulty

Sat Dec 12 2009 09:31

Thank you, Patricia. I don't know if we ever met, but I was thinking of Kitty today and saw this posting. It's been eight years this month since she passed, and I'm so grateful for all she brought to my life.

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