by S. Rotan Hale
The Seventh Annual Sister’s Night Out, held Thursday, Sept. 28 at St. John’s Episcopal Church downtown, is truly, as it is billed, a “Night of Inspiration” to say the least.
Organizers pack a lot into this affair. The main program involves several dynamic speakers, performers and tasty delights served buffet style. Additionally a host of exhibitions line a corridor offering products and services supporting health care for survivors of breast Cancer some of which go through chemotherapy.
Program organizing committee chair Linda Manns, a registered nurse and Community Health Faith Nurse at Loudon Avenue Christian Church, is the chief motivator of the event that is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and several local health care providers.
Mistress of Ceremony Kianna Price handled the proceedings with ease. Her delightful flair lightened up the program that basically sheds light on the darkness of such a dreaded disease as breast cancer often is.
Among the speakers was Lisa Bottomley, program manager, who delivered her message on breast cancer from the American Cancer Society as chief sponsor.
A major element of this extraordinary program is the recognition of breast cancer survivors. Those ladies who have survived the disease from less than a year to more than 20 years were given gifts. Other cancer survivors that weren’t breast cancer survivors were also recognized.
A special treat this year was a dynamic interpretive dance presentation by Unique Lee Devine–a brother-sister team that performed beautifully to the song “Rise Up” by Andra Day. The crowd at the well-attended event was excited to the point that some were encouraged to sing along.
Nicole Crowder, family nurse practitioner, Lewis Gale Medical Center, Endocrinology gave an informative PowerPoint presentation on living with diabetes. But it was breast cancer survivor, Alice West whose story hit the high note of the affair and involved a brief video of her bout with stage 3 breast cancer.
West was called to the stage and vividly shared a heart-warming story on how she survived the disease. Many in the room were driven to tears as she articulated her journey.
“The doctor told me if I had waited a while longer, chances are, I wouldn’t be here today,” she said.
Courageously West survived 6 months of chemotherapy and surgery followed by radiation which led to her presently living life cancer free. The video reveled the critical necessity of “early screenings, diagnosis and treatment” as the path for stopping cancer in its tracks.
“I wanted to be strong for my children, my grandchildren and my husband and I wanted to be a survivor,” said West with her soft and elegant tone that projected peace of mind in every word she uttered.
Dr. William Fintel, a hematology/oncology specialist with Blue Ridge Cancer Care, spoke with the aid of onscreen medical diagrams and animation as he emphasized the stages of breast cancer in laymen’s terms. One could feel his compassionate spirit as he worked the room. Fintel was part of the father/son duo of cancer specialists on program.
His son Dr. Andrew Fintel, an oncologist with Blue Ridge Cancer Care, presented a review of technical facts and figures relative to the path of cell structure regarding the disease.
Audience members were given a chance to ask the doctors questions during a brief Q&A that closed the program.
“It’s been an inspiring evening as more and women attend and learn from this incredible program. Our mission–early detection, early treatment is the backbone of our comprehensive efforts to eradicate cancer,” said Linda Manns–wrapping up the evening affair that continues to empower women and touch lives on the most special level.
