Tour for the Cure arrives in city

Williams Lake Tribune

By Sage Birchwater

The Telus Tour for the Cure, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation road show touched down in Williams Lake this week. Its large interactive display will be set up in Boitanio Mall until Sunday, Sept. 7.

The informative exhibit with six display kiosks is on both levels of the mall and contains important life-saving information on the early detection of breast cancer.

"Come and learn the facts about breast cancer and see what you can do to create a future without breast cancer," says tour leader Priscilla Fazakas.

Several tour guides are available to walk visitors through the exhibit and explain what is involved in breast exams for both men and women. Participants are shown how to register for a mammogram right from the site itself.

Williams Lake is one of 24 communities the tour is visiting around the province this summer and fall, between May and November. A brief opening ceremony for the exhibit was held Wednesday, Sept. 3, with city councillor Paul French giving the official city welcome. Speakers included local breast cancer survivor Margaret Latin, medical lab technician Joan Magee, and Telus service manager Kevin Gilder. The sponsorship by Telus has made the tour possible.

Fazakas says the intent of the travelling exhibit is to promote people taking better care of their own health. She says breast cancer is linked to everything from toxic materials in the environment, home and workplace, to the kind of food we eat, how much exercise we get, how much liquor we consume, tobacco we use, and our genetics.

"Only five to 10 per cent of the cases are inherited," Fazakas adds, noting that B.C. women have the lowest mortality from breast cancer in Canada.

This is due, she says, to the aggressive campaign waged by the B.C./Yukon component of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation to make people aware and to do regular mammagrams.

There are 22,400 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Canada each year. Of that number, 5,300 will die from the disease. One per cent of the breast cancer cases occur in men.

Because mammography finds smaller tumours earlier, it saves lives, Fazakas says.

Mammography only takes one minute, no doctor referral is required, mammograms are free, and the best news of all is that most breast abnormalities are not cancerous.

"It's worth it to find out."

Medical lab technician Joan Magee said the Health Sciences Association of BC is also a proud sponsor of the tour. She said one of the big challenges in the fight against breast cancer is the sever shortage of health care professionals to diagnose, treat, and support recovery in a timely way.

"HSA's objective in the Tour for the Cure is to raise awareness about the increasing shortages in health care professions and to encourage young people to go into the field.

"My union is working with our partners, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, to develop strategies to recruit and retain the health care professionals we all depend on."

The Tour for the Cure display offers a list of breast health tips:

. Know your own body so you'll be aware of any changes

. perform a breast self-exam every month

. get a clinical breast exam every year from a health professional

. if you are over 40, get a regular mammagram

. maintain a healthy body weight

. get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily

. eat five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day

. quit smoking or don't start.