University brings cancer awarness

Written by: Yurielle Menard/ Staff Writer

Cleophina Raymond said she walks for her Sunday school teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer and survived.

“She was one of the lucky ones who was able to obtain such a terrible disease and persevere through it,” said Raymond, a senior biology major. Departments, student organizations and clubs have brought awareness to the community about Breast Cancer Awareness Month during October.

The Residence Hall Association, Housing and Residential Life and the Women’s Center hosted the second annual Roar for the Cure 5k Run Wednesday, Oct. 14. The event took place at the University’s Nature Preserve.

Raymond represented her teacher and the Black Student Union at the 5k Run. This was her first time participating in the event.

More than 100 students participated, which included about 15 different student organizations and departments, according to Bronwen Bares Palaez, Women’s Center program administration director at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. Participants had the opportunity to walk or run in honor of someone that has been diagnosed, died of or survived breast cancer.

The event included a tour of the University’s College of Medicine mammogram bus that showed participants how to conduct self-examination checks. The bus was created to offer the community free mammograms using updated technology, such as 3-D imaging.

“The point of the event was to bring awareness to how healthy lifestyle choices can impact your long-term life,” Pelaez said. “We don’t raise money because it’s more of raising cancer awareness.”

Pelaez said that running cancer awareness events has shifted her focus on how to address fundraising and education for different issues.

“We don’t raise money for breast cancer if we don’t always know where the money is going, and we don’t want to ask students to donate money to an organization they don’t have the opportunity to research [first].”

The Women’s Center is also trying to raise awareness through pink washing. Pink washing is when companies dye all their products pink or attach pink ribbons to their products to support breast cancer awareness. “When you go to the store and you see the bag of Doritos and you see the pink ribbon on it, you want to buy it because you think you’re doing a good deed,” Pelaez said.

But, according to Pelaez, it has become very common that people are actually not donating anything through a purchase that has a pink ribbon. “These items that have pink on them contain carcinogens. Not only are these companies not contributing to a cure or research, they are potentially contributing to the problem,” she said.

In an interview with student media, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Susana Guerra from the Student Health Center said free breast screenings were offered during an open house event held in the student health center. She categorizes a high risk person as someone who has family history with breast cancer, such as a mother, sibling, grandma and even an aunt.

Guerra said at 35 women should at least get a baseline mammogram, defined as a woman’s first mammogram. Despite many diagnoses, Guerra said that the “survival rate is up to 90%.”

Greek organizations such as Phi Beta Sigma and Sigma Lambda Gamma also engaged in Breast Cancer Awareness Initiatives. Sigma Lambda Gamma President Kassandra Valdes said her organization has recently won $1,000 toward their breast cancer philanthropy.

In addition to this money, Sigma Lambda Gamma collects donations for their breast cancer philanthropy while tabling every week. During tabling, they distribute facts about breast cancer awareness.

Aside from giving generous donations, Sigma Lambda Gamma and Phi Beta Sigma held an event on Thursday, Oct. 22 called Pink Print which educated students on breast cancer. The event included games that told students about unknown facts, including “the first child that was diagnosed with breast cancer was about 3 or 4 years old,” Valdes said. Students were also educated on reducing the risk and being aware of breast cancer.

Valdes said she hopes students take away facts that they didn’t already know and that they don’t feel incapable of getting breast cancer because of their age.“A lot of students don’t even worry about it. They feel like they’re too young to even focus on this,” Valdes said.

Phi Beta Sigma hosted Join the Fight, the opening ceremony for their breast cancer awareness philanthropy. Phi Beta Sigma will be tabling while raising money. On Friday, Oct. 17, Phi Beta Sigma participated in the Susan G. Koman walk at Bayfront Park, said Malcolm Jones, president of Phi Beta Sigma.

On Saturday, Oct. 31, Phi Beta Sigma will be hosting Night Under the Blue Moon at Everything Entertainment, a costume party to collect proceeds for donation to breast cancer awareness.

Five-year relative survival rates are at an all time high for breast cancer. A relative survival rate is the survival rate compared to those diagnosed with breast cancer and the survival rate of the general population without breast cancer according to the Susan G. Komen website. Those diagnosed with breast cancer up to Stage 3 can look to a survival rate of over 70 percent according to Cancer.org.