In 2021, we spoke with Ify Nwabukwu*, Founder and Government Director of the African Girls’s Most cancers Consciousness Affiliation (AWCAA), and pictured on the best; we realized extra about her private life and profession main as much as her receipt of the 2022 AARP Goal Prize. Right here, we meet up with Ify to know the influence of receiving such an award in addition to new initiatives like her forthcoming ebook Extra Than My Most cancers.
It’s been so good staying in contact since our first dialog. What have you ever been as much as?
The AARP Goal Prize actually elevated the visibility and publicity for AWCAA and has resulted in new partnerships with universities that help our work within the immigrant group – particularly Howard College Most cancers Middle, Georgetown College’s Workplace of Minority Well being & Well being Disparities and Bowie State College.
Are you able to discuss extra in regards to the grant you acquired from Bowie State College?
The grant AWCAA acquired from Bowie State College is a COVID-related grant permitting us to additional help breast most cancers survivors who’re experiencing COVID.
COVID impacts breast most cancers sufferers even tougher. It implies that sufferers actively in therapy and survivors (like myself) must strictly adhere to CDC tips. This grant helps our COVID outreach all through underrepresented communities and zip codes—we’ve discovered that important info and schooling are very restricted in sure geographies. Along with elevated accessibility to mandatory schooling, we’ve additionally discovered that among the finest methods to succeed in these communities is to offer out PPEs and dry packaged meals whereas performing academic group outreach. Our efforts are moreover supported by grants from the Maryland State Division of Well being.
Are there any thrilling initiatives or occasions developing which have allowed you flex your artistic muscle?
I’m very excited to deepen our connections with the Caribbean group— we’re internet hosting our first Worldwide Breast Most cancers Consciousness Competition on October 29 from 1-7PM ET! There might be music, together with a Caribbean Band, African Band and performers, and probably a Latino band.
The pageant will happen within the largest condominium block (Franklin Park Flats in Greenbelt, Maryland), in Prince George’s County, and can enable us to pre-register ladies and display screen them for breast most cancers. I’m excited for males to be part of this as we intention to de-feminize breast most cancers and shine a lightweight on each women and men being affected by this illness.
On October 28, we’ll be internet hosting our annual fundraiser, the Girls First Fundraising Dinner Gala on the Samuel Riggs Alumni Middle: 7801 Alumni Drive, Faculty Park, MD 20742
Talking of screening, are there any ideas for folk studying this that you simply’d prefer to share?
In response to analysis from the American Most cancers Society, at the least 3,000 newly recognized instances of invasive breast most cancers sufferers might be males this 12 months. And Black ladies are 40% extra prone to die from the illness. Our analysis has proven that breast most cancers impacts folks of shade at a a lot youthful age and the mortality charge is greater for folks of shade normally.
I encourage readers to: carry out common breast checks at house, display screen early, and become involved in scientific trials—this permits researchers and pharmaceutical organizations to create help that’s higher tailor-made to folks of shade. If we aren’t concerned in analysis like this, how can folks of shade overcome their concern of going to the physician? How will medicines suited to different populations present us aid?
Individuals have to appreciate that there’s been a lot development in know-how, that issues are altering. Chemotherapy ten years in the past is just not the identical chemotherapy that it’s immediately. And most cancers therapy is just not a one measurement suits all expertise. Remedy ought to and could be tailor-made to the person.
We’ve to be on the desk when important well being selections are being made, in any other case, we find yourself on the menu! We’ve to take cost of our well being!
It appears to be like like you’re nonetheless getting old with angle, are you able to share extra about Extra Than My Most cancers? What have been main influences for this ebook? And the place can folks buy it?
Extra Than My Most cancers is a ebook I’ve all the time needed to place collectively; it’s vastly influenced by my very own experiences with breast most cancers and loss. That’s why I’m excited to accomplice with Fortunate Jefferson, a print and digital writer, to supply this assortment of poems and tales from women and men. My hope is that readers discover hope and braveness from the phrases inside it and that they take again their energy in managing their well being. The ebook could be pre-ordered at morethanmycancer.com.
What can we discover you doing for enjoyable if you’re not working to lift consciousness about breast most cancers?
In my spare time, I get pleasure from speaking to my 9 grandchildren, catching up with their each day lives. They convey out the youth in me! I really like cooking and attempting my hand at new recipes. I additionally like to learn and attempt to meet up with new books, particularly new advances on know-how with Breast Most cancers.
*Nwabukwu has been a member of the Workplace of Minority Well being & Well being Disparities Analysis’s Neighborhood Advisory Board.*
NaBeela Washington, an rising Black author, holds a Grasp’s in Artistic Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire College and Bachelor’s in Visible Promoting from The College of Alabama at Birmingham. She has been printed in Eater, The Cincinnati Overview, and others. Study extra at nabeelawashington.com.
Photograph: courtesy Ify Nwabukwu