Breast cancer risk higher for local women

Nationally, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, but locally, the rate is much higher.

Ilona Webb-Bruner, executive director of The Tidewater Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, said in some Hampton Roads communities, one in six women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

"Hampton Roads is a very industrial area," Webb-Bruner said, adding that the chemicals may be putting women at a higher risk. But the exact reason, she added, is unknown.

"We all ask the question why," she said. "There is no answer for why. It's the reason our national research grants are so important."

It's also the reason the local chapter works so hard to raise money, Webb-Bruner added, since 75 percent of the funding stays local.

Events like the organization's upcoming Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure, on Oct. 15 at the Oceanfront, help fund treatment and screenings for area women who might not otherwise be able to afford it. The money also pays for programs to teach women about risk factors and what to look for during a self-exam.

Since 1999, when the local Tidewater Komen affiliate began, the group has raised $4.6 million. The funding has paid for mammograms and health programs throughout the area, including the Beach Health Clinic, Western Tidewater Free Clinic, Eastern Shore Health District and Chesapeake Health Department.

"The Beach Health Clinic has been a grantee since almost the beginning," Webb-Bruner said.

Pat Phelan-Young, a Great Neck resident and former nurse, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991. Her cancer, detected during her annual mammogram, was caught early.

Helping other women catch the disease early and increase their chances for survival is one of the reasons she has volunteered with the local Komen Race for the Cure since it began in 2000.

"The reason I stay on is because they have played a critical role in every medical advance in breast cancer," Phelan-Young said. "I believe because of Komen, more cancers are detected early."

Since serving as a chairwoman during the Tidewater chapter's first Race for the Cure in 2000, Phelan-Young has held numerous leadership roles throughout the organization. Her dedication, Webb-Bruner said, is tireless.

"She was the very first volunteer," Webb-Bruner said. "She came in for Race for the Cure and has been doing it ever since. She's pretty much served in every facet of the Tidewater affiliate. She's been on every committee and served in every role."

"Our affiliate is really fortunate because Pat became the mold for the volunteers," Webb-Bruner added.

Knowing her efforts have a hand in helping women locally - either with breast cancer treatments or screenings - is the reason she continues to volunteer with the Tidewater affiliate.

"We need to make an impact and that's what Komen does," Webb-Bruner said. "It makes a local impact. It's the only way we're going to lower those numbers."

Rita Frankenberry, 222-5102, rita.frankenberry@pilotonline.com