| "African American women, when they get breast cancer, the disease is very aggressive and by the time they make the decision to get it checked out, it's moved into stage three or stage four where the mortality rate is higher," McQuirters stated. "Our message is we want to get young women, all women, to start recognizing they have to advocate for themselves. They have to check their breasts. And if they don't and they discover this lump and let it grow and grow and grow, by the time they do get to the doctor, they may have to take the whole breast." The issue of breast cancer is a particularly difficult one for African American women. "Women are in denial or they don't have the money or they have to make sure the kids eat and they can't go to the doctor because they have to take care of the kids," McQuirters said. "Black women think they have to be the nurturer. They think they have to be the person who does it all. They don't think about taking an hour out for themselves to go to the doctor. We're taught to really take care of the family." The Witness Project works closely with the African American churches in Madison. Carola Gaines, who works part-time with McQuirters in the project, recently attended the National Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Forum in California and felt reaffirmed by what she learned there. "I went to a workshop on faith based strategies and outreaching to communities of color," Gaines said. "It confirmed for me that we are on the right track in terms of what we are doing here in Madison. One of our major strategies is networking with African American churches in our community. We have to hit our target audience where they usually are. If one person tells another person, then the awareness will continue to grow and grow." One of the primary strategies for The Witness Project is to empower African American women who are survivors of breast cancer to spread the message of prevention. "We train them to shape their stories so they are succinct in giving their message in five minutes," McQuirters said. "We also teach women how to examine their breasts because most people are going into the doctor and the doctor is not examining their breasts. I did a presentation at the Senior Center about two months ago. And this woman was approximately 75 years old and she stated that she had never had her breasts examined by anyone. We're really charged to educate women about the importance of checking their breasts and the importance of getting the annual mammogram and the importance of knowing your family history. And if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, we're charged with partnering with these women so that survivors can talk to them about their experience. We want them to know that they are not alone." The Witness Project is planning to bring in a nationally known survivor of breast cancer to Madison on October 7th for its Hatter's Tea Affair. Zora Kramer Brown, a two-time breast cancer survivor who founded the Breast Cancer Resource Committee, a nonprofit Washington, D.C., organization dedicated to cutting in half the number of African-Americans who die from breast cancer is scheduled to come and motivate the Madison community to get out the message out. "Traditionally, African American women have worn hats to church," McQuirters said. "I thought this would be a great way to get the women out to an event." The Hatter's Tea event is free, but people must make reservations by calling 262-8662. Breast cancer prevention is important to Gaines. "Early prevention is key," Gaines emphasized. ";Doing self-examination breast exams once per month is key. We have to treat it like brushing our teeth. Brush Your Teeth. Check Your Breasts. Something so simple and easy can prevent something so difficult and painful. Check your breast regularly and have a mammogram performed annually. |
| The Witness Project Witnessing for health by Jonathan Gramling |
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| Carola Gaines recently joined Michelle McQuirters in educating the African American community about breast cancer. |
| The Witness Project was developed at the University of Arkansas back in 1991 in response to racial disparities in breast cancer. "In Arkansas, the women would only come into town on Sundays," Michelle McQuirters explained. "They had to get the women somehow, so they talked to the women when they came in for church service. The model is that in churches we witness to save souls. But in the Witness Project, we witness to save lives." In 1998, McQuirters brought The Witness Project to Madison. McQuirters wasn't satisfied with the mainstream programs that were doing breast cancer prevention because they weren't reaching African American women. And for African American women, it was a matter of life and death. |
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