The Garden City High School senior girls attended the annual Women’s Health Awareness Program on March 31 in the Garden City High School Library.
This presentation was coordinated by Garden City High School nurses Mrs. Eileen Wyremski, RN and Mrs. Karen Boelsen, RN. The educational program focused on breast health and the importance of Breast Self Examination (BSE).
The program was introduced by senior students Elizabeth Galizia and Murphy Shannon. This was followed by a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation, “The Maurer Foundation’s Breast Health Awareness Program,” by guest speakers Donna Carney and Laura Culhane from the Maurer Foundation. The Breast Health Awareness Program is an interactive program in which high risk behaviors, nutrition, exercise and Breast Self Examination are presented.
The Maurer Foundation is focused on delivering instructive programs to encourage health promoting behaviors. Everyday, choices are made that influence well-being. These choices may benefit or slightly harm health right now. However, over time, the rewards and consequences of these choices can become significant. Health behaviors formed during adolescence are closely associated with morbidity and mortality in adulthood.
One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Over 9,000 women under 40 get breast cancer each year. Millions of dollars are spent each year to find an early diagnostic test and cure. Until these goals are reached, women need to know what they can do to reduce their risk for disease and the importance of early diagnosis. Research indicates high levels of estrogen are linked to a high risk for developing breast cancer. Controllable risk factors influence the amount of estrogen a person stores in their body. Examples of controllable risk factors are amount of fat in the diet, exercise, alcohol use and smoking.
Finally, the key to beating breast cancer is finding it early: monthly BSE can make a difference. People who detect breast cancer early have up to a 98 percent chance of survival.
