By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Hope, music, and solidarity filled historic Arlington Home and Gardens in West Birmingham on Thursday as community members gathered for a special breast cancer awareness lunch. The event brought together 26 survivors, supporters, and health care professionals to honor those affected by breast cancer and to promote early detection and education.
“Breast cancer is tough but us survivors are tougher,” said Eva Johnson, breast cancer free for the past 11 years. “I’m just so happy to be among these [strong] women.”
Local advocate Chanda Temple, senior project manager for the City of Birmingham, organizer of the SurviveHer At The Table lunch series, said events like Thursday’s “remind us of the importance of regular screenings and support for women and families facing breast cancer.”
As October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, attendees at Arlington Home and Gardens shared personal stories, learned about advances in treatment, and received information about local resources available to those battling the disease.
“You can never have too much awareness about breast cancer,” said Johnson. “When I find out somebody has breast cancer, one of my things is, get to get their address and I send them a gift.”
Although Temple has not experienced breast cancer, she knows firsthand family and friends who have battled the disease, she said.
“My aunt, she died of breast cancer. I had friends who have had breast cancer,” said Temple, who keeps a blog chronicling stories of the survivors which appears on her blog, http://www.chandatemplewrites.com; her Facebook page; and her Instagram page.
After the luncheon, Temple asked some of the women who fought and beat breast cancer before ringing the bell to signify completion of their treatment to step outside.
The women and attendees grabbed pink pompoms placed at each of their seats, lined the sidewalk in the back of the building leading to a bell and cheered on the women as each got a chance to ring the bell for the first time.
“Whatever these women are walking away with today, I’m so glad because the main part of this was to empower them, uplift them,” Temple said, “just letting them know that there are people standing in their corner cheering them off to their next victory.”
