Shelli DeRobertis
Staff Writer
October is breast cancer awareness month, and many women are unaware of how to properly perform a self breast exam. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Xi Xi chapter, along with its Pomona Valley alumni helped bring awareness to the University of La Verne on Oct. 13.
The President’s Dining Room was filled with more than 30 people who attended the presentation. Guest speakers and cancer survivors gave information and inspirational stories about the deadly disease.
Veronica Clinkscales, family nurse practitioner for Kaiser Permanente in San Dimas, shared the importance of monthly breast examinations because early detection of breast cancer means a greater chance of successful treatment.
“Imagine a bean bag. It’s squishy and lumpy,” Clinkscales said. “If you’re feeling that bean bag every month, it feels the same. If (you) felt a walnut, golf ball or peanut in there, you would know it wasn’t the same anymore.”
She recommends that girls begin performing a monthly self-breast exam by age 17, and continue throughout their lifetime. Many of her patients avoid this task, however, claiming they do not know what they are feeling for because their breasts are already lumpy.
She said other symptoms to be aware of include: skin irritation or dimpling, nipple pain or retraction, redness or scaling of the nipple or breast, discharge other than breast milk or generalized swelling even if no distinct lump is felt.
Being familiar with your breast and your body plays a vital role in achieving optimum breast cancer awareness.
“I had gone to the doctor for a lump in my neck,” said Na’ Kisha Crawford, a breast cancer survivor. “It was sort of one of my things on my to do list.”
The lump in her neck was biopsied and drained, but the lump was still growing.
“Five days before I got married I got the diagnosis,” Crawford said.
At age 27 she had stage three cancer and started chemotherapy immediately after her honeymoon.
Crawford’s survival story was filled with more than just emotion.
“If you don’t know yourself you will when you have no hair,” she said. “When you have to look at yourself in the mirror, you have to love who you are.”
Her humble attitude toward the disease certainly played a role in her fight with cancer.
“When this happened I knew God had something greater in store for me,” Crawford said.
Statistics show that one out of every eight women will get breast cancer. She did not want her mother, grandmother, sisters or close friends to get the disease, so she fought with a courageous attitude.
“This is for me to carry so they don’t have to,” Crawford said.
Her battle with cancer is now over, but her outlook on life is still positive.
Crawford wrote the book “I Want it Now!” to help others identify their personal goals, as well as achieve confidence to make life changes.
When the presentations were over, audience members took bookmarks and pamphlets that were filled with information on breast cancer. If anyone needs more information or would like copies of the material that was available, or how to obtain Crawford’s book, they can stop by the Health Center at ULV and ask for Cindy Denne.
Shelli DeRobertis can be reached at sderobertis@ulv.edu.
