September 28th’s Walk / Run / Yoga fundraiser from HERS Breast Cancer Foundation represented a starting point for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, a time for Bay Area organizations to hold events to connect the community to education and resources. One such event was the 16th Think Pink resource fair organized by Washington Hospital and held at Washington West on Oct. 17. This year’s theme was “The Heart of Healing.”
Attendees swapped stories of their own journeys if they were survivors, or the journeys of loved ones they came in solidarity for. The setting acted as an ice breaker so that people frankly discussed types of cancer and treatments with none of the shame that usually comes with discussing a potentially terminal illness.
Community booths lined the walls, including local businesses such as Fremont Botanicals and Haller’s Pharmacy, and nonprofits such as BRAVE Bay Area and HERS Breast Cancer Foundation. The booths were well trafficked both for information and merch. The raffle for a choice of gift baskets was also popular.
Event sponsors Guardant, AstraZeneca, WHEA, Penguin Cold Caps, Redwood Hospice and New Age Chiropractic hosted tables as well.
For the speaker portion, cancer survivor Melody Fielder Wong shared her story via video, thanking Washington Hospital for their care and for treating her like family.
Kimberly Hartz, CEO of Washington Hospital Healthcare System, shared that as of September 2024, a planned expansion to the hospital’s Cancer Center is going forward. The Center was established in 2017 in partnership with University of California San Francisco (UCSF). The expansion will add more services such as a research program with clinical trials, in-house pharmacy, and more treatment stations.
Several healthcare professionals spoke on resources for cancer patients at Washington Hospital and beyond.
Emily Gentry, a physician assistant at Washington Hospital, shared about the hospital’s Women’s Center and its resources for cancer patients, including a newly added second 3D mammography machine.
Dr. Bogdan Eftimie, a hematologist-oncologist, spoke of the negative effects of anxiety on the body and the benefits of meditation: Namely, improving sleep which improves overall health.
Dr. Seema Sehgal, a specialist in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, spoke on the psychological effects of cancer, saying, “Mental health treatment should be part of routine treatment of cancer. It should not be considered a luxury or an add-on.”
She pointed out that this type of cancer often affects women in their prime, dealing a blow to self image as well as a physical one. “We can’t talk about the breast without talking about what this organ symbolizes. It symbolizes femininity, beauty, motherhood, sexuality. I really feel that the breast as an organ almost lives in the public domain. Everybody has something to say about the breast.” Societal discourse ranges from how much cleavage should be shown to whether mothers should breastfeed in public.
Dr. Sehgal continued, “When this organ is affected by cancer, it really is a hit on a woman’s femininity, womanhood, attractiveness and fertility.” The psychological impact can be as great as the physical. This is why patients need informed care that considers the whole person.
There is much work to be done, but many doctors, volunteers and allies are doing it. And their work is appreciated.
