Breast cancer awareness at Wofford
“One in eight women is far, FAR too many,” Jennings Brackett, one of Zeta Tau Alpha’s co-directors of philanthropy, said of the prevalence of breast cancer in the United States. Effie Kropp, ZTA’s other co-director, added that this statistic is “unbelievable.”
The American Cancer Society estimates that, in 2018, about 266,120 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,920 will die from this disease. Though the society’s website states that “breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women,” it also states that there has been a 39% decrease in death rates caused by breast cancer from 1989 to 2015, “believed to be the result of finding breast cancer earlier through screening and increased awareness, as well as better treatments.”
The role of spreading awareness of the prevalence and impact of breast cancer falls not only in the hands of large organizations such as The American Cancer Society, but also on individuals and other groups. One of these groups is the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.
Brackett explained that “The Zeta Tau Alpha National Foundation partners with organizations including Making Strides, Think Pink and Bright Pink to recognize survivors and support fighters of breast cancer.” Though the implications of this partnership take on different forms at every chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha, members of the sisterhood at Wofford put on a breast cancer awareness-themed campus or community event each semester to help keep the cause on the table.
Shagathon, the breast cancer awareness event the sisterhood hosts every spring, is one of the most impactful events because of the personal touch it offers, Kropp said. The event, which raised $27,000 this past year, is a celebration of breast cancer survivors and a means by which the chapter and the community can support those who are currently undergoing treatment. The Survivor Spotlight, Kropp said, is a group of women who have been invited to be recognized for their fight against breast cancer. A special introduction of each of the visitors in the Survivor Spotlight allows the sisters of ZTA and other event attendees to “tell them we love you, we’re caring for you and we’re doing this for you.”
Both Kropp and Brackett emphasized the abundance of everyday implications of breast cancer and noted that the number of lives affected by breast cancer is one of the reasons that the sisters of ZTA have such a big responsibility in promoting the philanthropy.
Brackett said, “So many of our sisters have mothers who have won their fight, are currently fighting or have lost their fight in more recent times of their life… Because we are a sisterhood, that means each and every sister’s pain is our own and each and every one of our sisters who needs support has a whole family to provide it. It’s real to us on a very personal level and because of that I think we are pushing ourselves to live up to one of ZTA’s understandings: “Its more than just a ribbon.”
In recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness month, ZTA will host Think Pink Week from October 22-27. The sisters will host activities throughout the week to encourage the Wofford community to take an active role in fighting back against breast cancer.
Photo Caption: Sophomore ZTA member Holly Moyd shows support for breast cancer awareness at the Making Strides walk in Greenville, a day where ZTA sisters spend the day celebrating survivors, fighters and their families.
