Posted by Ariel S

Program Host	Chapter
Host Region and Chapter	Cotton States GERT WEINSTEIN BBG
Program Type	Education Mind / Body / Attitude (MBA) Sisterhood Women's Issues
Time Required	2-5 hours
Target Population(s)	Girls (BBG)
Folds Targeted	Education Sisterhood
People Participating	10-30
Related Website	http://wassermanschultz.house.gov/earlyact/index.shtml

Program Summary:

This program was held to increase the chapters awareness and knowledge of Breast Cancer.

Full Description:

Make sure all the members come wearing pink to support Beast Cancer Awareness

To start of the program, each member was given a quiz to test their knowledge on breast cancer:

Test Your Breast Cancer IQ
What you know can make all the difference in your health.
           **by Camille Noe Pagán
Breast cancer statistics can be scary. After all, one in eight women will get the disease in her lifetime, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States, after skin cancer. But here's the good news: The majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive it — the key is in early detection and proper treatment. That's why it's so important to know all you can about what your risk factors are (and aren't), as well as how you can stay healthy. What's your breast cancer IQ? Take this quiz and find out.
  1. Which of the following increases a woman's risk of breast cancer?
a. Having a family member who has had it
b. Never giving birth or having your first child after the age of 30
c. getting older
d. all of the above
  2. Breast cancer can be prevented by:
a. Eating a low-fat diet
b. Exercising
c. Avoiding alcohol
d. none of the above
  3. Breast cancer can be completely cured if an individual receives treatment.
a. true
b. false
  4. Which of the following is true about mammograms?
a. They can detect some types of breast cancer before a lump is ever felt
b. They’re 100% effective in finding all types of breast cancer
c. They’re extremely painful
d. They’re unnecessary unless a lump is felt
  5. The majority of women with breast cancer:
a. Have a mother or sister with the disease
b. Have a distant relative with the condition
c. Don't possess any identifiable risk factors
d. Are younger than 45
  6. A woman diagnosed with breast cancer will generally lose at least one breast.
a. true
b. false
  7. Most lumps in a woman's breast:
a. turn out to be cancerous
b. are caused by hormonal changes
c. are the result of wearing badly fitted bras
d. don’t need to be evaluated by a physician

Answers.

1. All of the Above
   
2. none of the above
   
3. false
   
4. they can detect some types of breast cancer   before a lump is ever felt
   
5. don’t possess any identifiable risk factors
   
6.  false
   
7. are caused by hormonal changes.
   

See how many members actually got a 100% on the quiz. Most likely not many members did. Explain how it is very important to be informed and educated about Breast Cancer.

Two girls take turns reading facts about breast cancer.

All facts stated below from http://wassermanschultz.house.gov/earlyact/index.shtml

Girl 1: Breast cancer is a disease that knows no boundaries. It strikes women from all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities, the rich and the poor, the old and the young.

Girl 2: Yes, you did hear that last part correctly. Despite the perception, young women can and do get breast cancer and the result can be devastating. In 2008, the American Cancer Society estimated that there would be 182,460 new cases of breast cancer in women. Of these cases, more than 10,000 – 11,000 of these women would be under 40 years of age.

Girl 1: Although the incidence of breast cancer in young women is much lower than that of older women, young women's breast cancers are generally more aggressive, are diagnosed at a later stage, and result in lower survival rates. In fact, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in young women under the age of 40.

Girl 2:Additionally, certain ethnic groups, including Ashkenazi Jews, and African American young women, have an increased risk of breast cancer. Despite these facts, many young women mistakenly believe that breast cancer is only a problem for women over 40 years old. As a result, diagnoses are delayed and young women's lives are cut short.

Girl 1:We cannot afford to be silent about these specific risks and how they impact certain communities; not when our children's lives are on the line. To that end, Congresswoman Debbie Schultz has introduced the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or EARLY Act. This legislation directs the Centers for Disease Control to develop and implement a national education campaign about the threat breast cancer poses to young women of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and the particular heightened risks of certain groups.

Girl 2: The campaign will help educate young women and better enable health care professionals to identify the specific threats and warning signs of breast cancer, which will lead to early diagnoses and saved lives. The bill calls for $9 million a year from 2010 to 2014.The EARLY Act will also provide grants to organizations that support young women diagnosed with breast cancer in order to receive the assistance they need—including social and psychological support, fertility preservation counseling, and recurrence prevention training. Because at the end of the day, the old saying rings true: knowledge is power. By making sure young women know their risk factors, the EARLY Act is a first step in transforming how we approach the fight against breast cancer.

Read story to chapter:
Girl 1: There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only 3 hairs on her head.
"Well", she said, " I think I'll braid my hair today."
So she did and she had a wonderful day

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only 2 hairs on her head.
"H...M...M" she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today".
So she did and she had a grand day

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed
that she had only 1 hair on her head. "Well," she said,today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.
So she did, and she had a fun fun day

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"YEA! she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Girl 2: There are days where we think that it just couldn’t get any worse. When you are having one of those days, try to remember that many people have it much harder. Even when you are having a terrible day, try to make the best out of it. Attitude is everything Stay Positive!

For the next part of the program, the girls all wrote a letter to Congressmen Duncan together to help push the EARLY Act bill.

-After writing the letter, the girls made a BBG supports Breast Cancer Awareness Poster. On the poster board, they created a giant pink ribbon out of anything pink they could find in magazines. After creating their poster, they hung it up at the JCC for all the Jewish community to see.

Girl 2: There are many small things that ONE person can do to make a HUGE difference. Writing these letters to congress could result in Debbie’s EARLY Act bill being passed helping many women in United States fight their battle of Breast Cancer. There are so many charities and companies that support Breast Cancer, and although we may not realize it, when we help support these organizations we are saving women’s lives.

Submitter's Suggestions:

Get members involved with the program by having them read the stories or facts!

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