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Record crowd expected at Breast Cancer Awareness Symposium

Lanet James

By By KATE McCARDELL/ Floridan Staff Writer
Published: October 05, 2008

The Fifth Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Symposium will host a record number of attendees this year, increasing the number of area residents educated on the second leading cause of cancer death in women, according to event planners.

“The symposium is completely free to attend and anyone who might want to come should register soon because space is filling up fast,” said Symposium coordinator and breast cancer survivor Lanet James.

James said everyone should consider going to the Oct. 16 event for one very good reason:

“Awareness. Men and women both have breasts, and can both have breast cancer. Breast cancer is not a respecter of gender. It is not a respecter of race nor age ... When you’re in a crisis of detecting a lump and should it be unfortunate that it is malignant, you want to know what options you have available,” said James.

Those options will be discussed by experts at the symposium, which will start at 5:30 and take place at the Jackson County Agriculture Conference Center on Pennsylvania Ave., Marianna.

James, a breast cancer survivor herself and vocal member of the community in cancer awareness, will lead the event.

This year’s Symposium guest speakers are Dr. Helen Krontiras, University of Alabama Birmingham, who is at the forefront of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment; Dr. Larry Harper, Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic, American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; and Shannon Powell, Director of Radiology, Jackson Hospital.

“Dr. Harper will basically speak on the recreation of the breast, whether it’s with an implantation or whether it’s using one’s own body tissue,” said James.

James said Avon Breast cancer Foundation representative Lucille Latham will present Beads of Life.

“They’re symbolic of the different sizes and different stages of lumps. And she’ll go over the different treatments available when each type is found. This information is foremost in early detection, which is the best kind of detection,” said James.

Jackson Hospital, for the fifth year, is a major sponsor of the event. Other sponsors include the Jackson County Health Department, American Cancer Society, Avon Breast Foundation and Steven H. Stokes, M.D., of North Florida Cancer Care.

The free event isn’t limited to women, said James, because not only are men susceptible to breast cancer, but the women in their lives can use the support.
Advance registration, for planning measures, is requested by contacting Kathryn Jordan, Community Educator at Jackson Hospital, (850)718-2661 or Karen Talley, Education Assistant at (850)718-2842. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for nursing professionals.