Oakland photographer exposes breast cancer
For a brief period in 2000, posters hung on bus depot walls in
San Francisco that looked like the typical lingerie and perfume
advertisements found in magazines.
Oakland photographer exposes breast cancer
For a brief period in 2000, posters hung on bus depot walls in San Francisco that looked like the typical lingerie and perfume advertisements found in magazines. The difference was that the sexy female bodies had scars where breasts would have been. The “obsessed with breasts” campaign had been launched by a nonprofit, the Breast Cancer Fund, to raise awareness of breast cancer. Rita Coury, an Oakland-based photographer was one of the few people to see the public awareness campaign before it was pulled. Transportation officials found the posters offensive.
“When a political official said it was obscene to view a woman without her breasts, I thought something needed to be done,” In October, people start to see pink. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there is a focus on raising money for research as well as increase awareness of the ways to prevent, detect and treat an illness that is the sixth-leading cause of death for women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are plenty of ways for people to help with the search for a cure – from purchasing pink baking pans at places such as Bed, Bath and Beyond to saving pink lids from Yoplait yogurt. Part of the purchase price for items with the Susan G. Komen logo on them is donated to research and education. A variety of other organizations also offer support and information.
Resources on detection and treatment:
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital – Offers extended hours for mammograms and a special rate during October.
Call 636-2650 ext 2 to schedule a mammogram with a doctor’s referral
Susan G. Komen Foundation
http://cms.komen.org or 1-800-I’M AWARE (1-800-462-9273.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast or 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
National Cancer Institute
www.cancer.gov or 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
Resources on reconstruction:
Medline Plus – offers information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health on breast reconstruction www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breastreconstruction.html
DIEP Sisters – a support group for women who have had diep surgery or are considering it.
www.diepsisters.com.
Dr. Gabriel M. Kind’s Web site – offers information from a Bay Area doctor who performs breast reconstruction, including the DIEP flap procedure www.drkind.com/breastreconstruction.htm or 1-415-565-6884
