Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed every October, plays a vital role in educating the public about breast cancer, its risk factors, and the importance of early detection. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), in 2020, an estimated 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and about 685,000 women died from the disease. This annual campaign encourages individuals to get screened and promotes research funding to improve treatment options. Known for its pink theme color, the month features several campaigns and programs designed to:
- Support people diagnosed with breast cancer, including those with metastatic breast cancer
- Educate people about breast cancer risk factors
- Encourage women to go for regular breast cancer screenings, starting at age 40 or earlier, depending on personal breast cancer risk
- Raise money for breast cancer research
Although the rates for specific cancers, such as breast cancer, can vary by ethnicity, Black women face a higher likelihood of dying from breast cancer. In this article, I highlight an organization founded by the late Wanda Hall Mccullough, who was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. Even with this diagnosis, Wanda did not allow it to stop her from her passion, mission, and dedication to make a difference in the lives of others battling breast cancer. At that time, the organization’s name was Touch Therapy; Touching Others Undergoing Cancer Healing. It was a massage therapy practice, providing healing support to breast cancer survivors. Sadly, Wanda passed away at age 47, but her hard work was not in vain. Co-founded in the Summer of 2020 by Ricki Fairley and Valarie Worthy, the organization evolved from its earlier initiative and is now called Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance. Touch BBCA aims to raise awareness, provide culturally specific education, and build community for Black individuals impacted by breast cancer, recognizing unique barriers faced by this demographic.
Touch BBCA offers several programs, one in which hires HBCU students as interns. These Black female interns serve as information providers and educators, who center their conversations around breast cancer prevention, awareness, participation in clinical trials, and family health history. The next program, The Doctor Is In, provides a platform for education, conversation, and exchange for all topics arising from Black Breast Cancer. The show’s hosts are breast cancer survivor/advocate and CEO of TOUCH, Ricki Fairley and breast surgical oncologist, Dr. Monique Gary. The show happens every Wednesday at 6pm ET live on facebook.com/BlackDoctor.org. Another program is Pink Table Talk, which is a series of intimate kitchen-table conversations that focus on all things Black Breast Health. The hosts of the show are Hayley Brown and Dr. Candice Thompson, Breast Surgical Oncologist at Stanford Medicine. They also have a monthly support group called TOUCH Talk & Retreats. It is a sounding board and gathering place for their sisterhood of Black breast cancer survivors/thrivers. They meet via Zoom on the first Saturday of every month at 11am EST. TOUCH also publishes on BlackDoctor.org, Black Health Matters, Everyday Health, Conquer: The Patient Voice, the Cincinnati Herald, the Baltimore Times, and more. Ricki Fairley has also been featured in TIME Magazine, Essence, on Good Morning America, and in podcasts like Dear Cancer, I’m Beautiful. Lastly, TOUCH has a Love Your Bones segment, which includes topics such as osteoporosis prevention and care, screening, nutrition, exercise, risk factors, fractures and falls, caregiving, and more. This group meets every first Sunday at 3pm EST live on Facebook.com/BlackDoctor.org.
As you’re reading, TOUCH BBCA is doing their part to educate and support our Black women. Let’s make sure we’re doing our part too! Ensure we’re performing our monthly self-breast exams, scheduling our annual mammograms, and don’t be afraid to talk with your healthcare professionals, if you’re concerned about anything. TOUCH BBCA states if there is a topic that you’d like to see covered or you wish to share your own breast cancer survivor story, please reach out to info@touchbbca.org with your ideas and information.
About Author:
Janet Downs is an instructor with over 20 years of experience, having worked with Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations. She volunteers and is a resource for the homeless community and is working towards starting her own non-profit. She is passionate about mental health and seeks to bring more awareness to the black community. She is active in church ministry, a writer, and loves music, hiking, and travel.
