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BREAST CANCER:
ACTION, AWARENESS & ADVOCACY
My personal community service platform is
Breast Cancer; Action, Awareness and Advocacy.
Six years ago, when preparing to enter my first local preliminary
for the Miss America organization, I was advised to choose a platform that
meant something to me. I vividly remember that Breast Cancer was the first topic
that came to mind because my grandmother died of breast cancer when I was
nine years old.
Since that time I have spent countless hours volunteering and advocating
for the awareness of breast cancer. My
efforts were initially geared toward promoting early detection in women,
particularly those over the age of forty.
This included raising awareness of the need for mammograms, and
clinical and breast-self exams. In
promoting these steps to early detection, I attended Relay for Life events
in numerous counties in the Southern Illinois area, as well as educating
small groups of women including those at Pampered Chef parties and Women
in Business meetings. While
in college, I was the captain of Phi Mu sorority’s Relay for Life team
that raised 5,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society.
Though I was very proud of the work that I did, I still felt that there
was something missing. I knew
that my work was important, but that I needed to reach more women of
different ages and different backgrounds.
After further research the topic, I found numerous stories of women
under the age of forty who have had breast cancer.
Some of these individuals were in their teens, 20’s, and 30’s,
which is a population that we do not often think about.
That is when I decided to target my efforts at a younger population of
individuals and I am now working with both the American Cancer Society and
Y-Me Illinois to promote breast health in women of all ages.
Recently, society is beginning to hear about younger women who are
affected by breast cancer and I believe that we can make a difference by
teaching a younger population to be proactive about their health.
Not only to we educate women of all ages, but men as well. Not only can men get breast cancer, but they may be the
support system for a loved one who is battling this disease.
Last October as Miss Illinois 2007, I made several appearances at breast cancer fundraisers and spoke about my breast cancer awareness platform on TV and radio and at health-related public events in both the Chicago area and in Southern Illinois. I was honored to serve as a keynote speaker at
the American Cancer Society's regional meeting in Schaumburg on October
12, 2007. I also enjoyed cheering on the many thousands of walkers who flocked to Chicago's lakefront in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on October 21.
This is where I also was introduced to the CEO of The Pampered Chef, with
whom I was able to partner on their Help Whip Cancer Campaign.
I hope that you will continue to follow my journey as I fight to raise
awareness about this disease. I
learn more about breast cancer everyday, and hope that I can reach men and
women of all ages. Please remember that cancer can happen to anyone, so be sure
to practice good health and encourage your loved ones to be mindful of
this disease.
God Bless,
Ashley Hatfield
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