Although pink is the standard color for breast cancer awareness, its close relative purple took over that role Thursday at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.
The event was The Purple Tea Seminar and Southwest Floridians came dressed in their best purple attire.
The colorized theme continued with all attendees served purple tea from Kenya. The tea has many health benefits, including anti-cancer properties, according to justea.com.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer for American women. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 297,790 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2023.
Advocate Radiation Oncology and Lee Health Regional Cancer Center partnered with other local organizations to host the tea with the aim to increase breast cancer awareness and educate the Southwest Florida community on breast cancer research.
Local breast cancer experts presented the latest advancements in prevention, screening, and treatment.
Liz Bachoo-Garib, a breast health navigator with the Lee Health Regional Cancer Center, said breast cancer is treatable for patients.
She said patients can be more aware if they have breast cancer by having physical awareness.
“Just knowing what your breasts look and feel like can actually help save your life,” Bachoo-Garib said.
Women should start yearly mammogram screenings when they’re 40, according to the American Cancer Society. If a person has a family history of breast cancer, they should get a mammogram 10 years earlier.
To help Southwest Floridians get the treatment they need, Lee Health has funding available to everyone, to provide treatment despite any financial barriers someone might be faced with.
Bachoo-Garib said Lee Health works with Partners for Breast Cancer Care to provide free health exams and free mammograms to low income communities.
“Make sure that we provide not just access, but the funding for the diagnostics and the screening that women and men need within our communities,” Bachoo-Garib said.
The organizations provide health care to low-income communities including Dunbar, Immokalee, and in North Fort Myers.
Dr. Dorothy Taylor, a former professor at the University of Miami, has been a breast cancer survivor for more than 30 years.
She said she’s been involved in breast cancer awareness activism ever since she was initially diagnosed.
“I just felt the need to be a support system for other people,” she said.
When she taught at the University of Miami, she felt the need to help people who were going through breast cancer like she did.
Taylor now volunteers with Lee Health Coconut Point. She helps people who are coming for mammograms and bone densities.
“I'm always happy to tell them that I’m a 30-year survivor, because to see that is encouraging,” Taylor said. “I'm always pleased to be an advocate and that's why I'm here today, and I'm happy to always be involved.”
Marjorie Ford, a pastor at First Assembly Cornerstone Church in Fort Myers, was invited to the event by Taylor.
She said this event is important to inform people on the symptoms of breast cancer and what to be aware of.
“I think this event is great for women to let them know there is hope,” Ford said.
Geraldine Ware was the honorary chair of the Purple Tea. The program’s agenda said “the fight for justice and equality has been the cornerstone of her career.”
She said cancer has been prevalent in her family. Her mother and niece both had breast cancer
Ware’s husband had lung cancer and had to go into hospice. Two days after he entered hospice care, on Christmas Day, he died from the cancer.
“Cancer is a disease that affects everyone,” she said. “We must never give up hope.”
She said she’s been motivated to promote breast cancer awareness because of her family and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, which helped to sponsor the event.
“Ask yourself as I do when I wake up every morning. First of all, I tell God I'm grateful for another day. Then I ask, how may I serve [God] today? Ask yourself, is there something I can do for cancer as an advocate? There's a lot that all of us can do.”
Angelette Arias is the chapter president for the Fort Myers alumnae of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
She said the sorority is committed to promoting awareness for physical and mental health.
“Breast cancer does not discriminate. It affects women and men in all walks of life,” Arias said.
Around 1% of men have breast cancer, but Arias said it’s always a possibility.
Arias’ aunt had stage three breast cancer, and Arias was worried that the cancer would travel from one breast to another.
“The [doctors] checked the other breast, but there [was] nothing there. I said, but later on it could travel, but she didn't listen to me,” Arias said. “a year later, after several visits of radiation and chemotherapy, it did travel to the other breast.”
Arias’ aunt died from the cancer. While her family has been impacted, she said her sorority motivates her to advocate for breast cancer awareness more than anything.
“The Delta Sigma Theta sorority incorporated is renowned on working in public service initiatives in communities all across the world,” Arias said.
Dr. Natalia Spinelli, a breast surgical oncologist with Millennium Physician Group, was a featured speaker at the event.
She believes events like the Purple Tea help to create the awareness needed for breast cancer.
“It's unfortunately an illness that is very common. One in eight women will be affected, which places women about 12% lifetime risk for breast cancer development,” Dr. Spinelli said.
One of the biggest barriers to getting proper care, Dr. Spinelli said, is the ability to help patients who might not be able to afford proper health screenings or mammograms.
She emphasized that no one is immune to breast cancer.
“We're working to end the gap to early diagnosis for our minority patients and fortunately, if it's caught early, it's treatable,” she said.
Dr. Spinelli said yearly mammogram screenings should never be skipped, as the best way to cure breast cancer is to manage it in the early stages.
“It's important that if you notice some changes in your body and your breast to go to your primary care doctor or to your gynecologist, or even get seen by a breast surgeon so that this can be worked out,” she said.
Dr. Magali Van den Bergh, a hematology and oncology specialist at the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, also spoke at the event.
She also emphasized that the key to avoiding breast cancer is to get yearly mammograms. But she also advised that you act quickly if you detect a lump or abnormality.
“Don't even wait till you're due for your yearly mammogram. Get it done earlier because the earlier you detect it, the more curable and better overall survival,” Dr. Van den Bergh said.
She has had some patients wait until the last minute to get help for breast cancer, and she said the results weren’t pretty.
In her speech, she mentioned there are significant racial disparities in breast cancer. For example, black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer compared to white women.
“Part of it is because they tend to get a much more aggressive type of breast cancer called triple negative breast cancer,” she said.
Even when this is cured, it can still come back and spread to other parts of the body.
“Other reasons are also limited access to care, the kind of social determinants of health that causes delays in care and then having it diagnosed later when it's no longer curable,” she said.
Everyone has an uncontrollable risk when it comes to the disease, she said. This is a person’s age, gender and family history.
There’s controllable risks by a person’s choice to limit alcohol to around one drink per day, exercising three to four times a week, maintaining a healthy body weight, and avoiding estrogen supplementation such as prolonged hormone replacement therapy.
“I want patients to be aware that there's things they can do to decrease their risk,” she said.
This story was produced by Democracy Watch, a news service provided by Florida Gulf Coast University journalism students. The reporter can be reached at katiefogarty22@gmail.com.