The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 28, 1998 - B1 TERRACE STANDARD INSIDE SECTION B COMMUNITY a 2 SEE tO ne, EI EAl eai-E TERI EET EVENTS B2 “SPEAKING OUT SARAH de LEEUW OMMUNIT ¥-<: Breast self-examinations crucial WOMEN SHOULD know their breasts. Coming from a breast can- cer survivor, this piece of advice shouldn’t be taken lightly. Dorothy Alway — said knowing her breasts well saved her life. Ten years ago, Alway said she remembers waking up and thinking her left breast her breast to cancer differ- ently. “Pm still me,” she said. “Td rather have none than be dead,” According to Laverne Kelln, a breast — self- examination teacher, early detection is key to a greater chance of surviving breast calicer. Kelln said the smalicst sister or mother have it), or if they have had breast can- cer before. However, Kelln said 80 per cent of the women who develop breast cancer are women with no risk factors. One out of nine women will get breast cancer at one point in their lives, assum- ing they live to age 80, she said, Twenty women in Ter- month to do, Breasts should be examined regularly once a month, seven to 10 days afler menstruation. If you arcn’t menstruating, pick a special day (first day of the month or your birthday) to practice breast self-exams. Women between 50-69 should gel a mammogzam, which are free, every two years. Wi h ] ‘didn’t feel right. lump detectable in a breast race develop breast cancer _Kellin said 85 per cent of Itc es aren t She said she couldn’t feel examination has been grow- each year, the lumps women find in a lump after a breast self- ing for about 10 year, so Breast self-examinations breast sclf-examinations are old hags arty green noses and long gray hair. Tall black hats. Cackling laughs and cats with glowing green eyes. Scary spells and long curled nails. There’s sure to be an abundance of these wicked women wandering the streets of Terrace by the end of this week, loot bags slung suspi- ciously over bent shoulders. Ok, so there’s also the requisite satin powns, glass slippers and crowns interspersed with pep- perings of cat-girls, some vampires, a few fairies and a dabbling of ghosts and goblins. But let’s face it, witches are still where it’s at when it comes to girls and Halloween costumes. Heck, even the odd boy grabs a broom and tattered black dress this time of year. The fact is, you'd be hard pressed to talk to any woman in Terrace who hasn't been a witch for Halloween at least once in her life. Are we all operating under some sort of spell? When did we become bewitched with the yearn- ing to dress up as aging old crones? Many of us don’t know the witches we see on Halloween are a far cry from their historical sisters. They're also very different from the practicing witches of today. These costumed Halloween witches are fraught with prablems, their representation filled with symbolism dating back to the 13th century and before. The costumes represent a transformation in the way women were scen and continue to be viewed. In those early centuries, the word witch was not even in use. Instead powerful women, often healers, doctors; mid-wives, and counsellors were revered with no thought to evil spells or warly noses. These women lived with respect until the transformation of the catholic church in Europe during 15th century. During this time, the Church’s decision to transform the way people worshipped meant pagan rituals and more varied or inclusive Christian practices were condemned. This transformation came with a price, a price often paid in women’s lives. Between the 13th and 18th centuries, estimates are that up to 9 million people were burned at the stake after being branded as witches, Devil worshipers or heretics. Of these 9 million, over 85 per cent were women. During the Inquisition (a time dubbed by some historians as the women’s holocaust) women who met in groups, aided each other in childbirth, sold traditional healing remedies, or partook in rituals not condoned by the Church, were susceptible to accusations which often Icd to their death. Women in these times lived in fear of their lives. A simple report from a neighbour could lead to imprisonment, torture and ultimately death. Slowly and painfully Christianity transformed the wise and powerful woman into a symbol of humanity’s downfall; women healers and counsellors were doing the work of the Devil, not simply aiding those in need. Paintings and literature began to represent the hag, up until that point an image of power and knowledge, as the witch ~ a woman who brought with ber death and destruction, spells and evil. The Church and State burned midwives for easing the pain of child birth. It was, said the panels of judges, God’s will for women to suf- fer and thus the work of the Devil to ease that pain. Famous women of history, including Joan of Arc, were condemned to die as heretics and witches. . Laws saying on the one hand only those who studied at university were allowed to practice healing, and on the other that women were not allowed to be educated, ensured women could be accused of witcheraft for using traditional healing methods. Entire businesses sprang out of the witch bumiing craze. Tickels were sold and women were charged for the escorts to their torture chambers, the cost often as steep as all the land they may have owned. It took over 400 years for,the image of a wise powerful woman to fall to the present represen- tation of witches - warty old hags plotting the downfall of princesses, chortling spinsters who cause nothing but harm. Yet the fascination with witches has not abated. This Halloween when you see a rosy cheeked eight year old witch cackling gleefully, it just may be she is paying homage to the gen- erations of powerful women before her, craftily plotting the future when once again old and wise women are respected rather than scorned. examination, but she went to see her doctor for a professional examination just to make sure, When her doctor couldn’t feel a lump either, Alway insisted on getting a mam- mogram, an x-ray of the breast. ‘*That mammogram saved my life,”’ she said. That’s because her x-rays showed that she did, indeed, have breast cancer, The lump was so minus- cule (like a tiny pebble), it wasn’t detectable by touch in a breast exam. Only three months later, Alway underwent major surgery - she needed a radi- cal mastectomy (amputation of the breast). “T had one of the worst types of breast cancer be- cause it grows very, very rapidly,’’ she said, Laverne Kelln After surgery Alway said her nurse told her that she was extremely lucky to be alive. “Tf IT hadn’t caught it when I did, the nurse tald me I would have had less than two years less to live,” she said. “It would have been too late if I had waited until T felt the Jump.” That is why knowing your breasts is important, she said. “JE you have the slightest worry, get it checked.”’ Losing a breast to cancer is incredible loss to women, since breasts are often regarded are symbols of femininity and sexiness. But Alway regards losing breast selfexaminations are critical for early detection. “You need to be responsible for your breasts throughoul your lifetime,” she said. And since breasts change as a women grow older, women must leam what fecls normal and what docsn’t (some lumps come and go around menstrua- tion.) Kelln said there isn’t one factor that contributes to breast cancer, but there are some very strong risk fac- tors, A women’s chances of de- veloping breast cancer in- crease as: women get older (women age 65 and over are twice as likely to develop breast cancer as young women), if they have a strong hislory of breast can- cer in the family (if their toys and recyclables. » Day care turns 25! The Terrace Day Care Center celebrated its 25th anniversary Oct. 17 with an open house, The day care is licensed for 25 children {anyone 30 months old to five years old) and employs five full time staif members. Supervisor Nicole Wilkinson said the day care is a non-profit society. Fees go toward operational costs and paying staff mem- bers, Money for equipment is raised through fund- raising like raffles and bake sales, Wilkinson said the day care is always grateful for donations of only take five minutes a not cancerous. found there too. How to do a breast self-examination BEFORE A MIRROR: What women need to look for is anything out of the ordinary about their breasts: colour, shape, rashes, puckered or dimpled skin, and for any discharge or change in the nipples. Each side of the breast should be examined as well locking for any flattening in side view, . LYING DOWN: To examine your le[t breast, place ibe back of your left hand on your forehead. (This dis- iributes breast tissue more evenly on the chest.) Start at the outermost top of your Icft breast and wilhout lifting your fingers from your breast carefully feel the breast tissue while pressing gentle and firmly while making small circular motions around the rim of your breast, Now move your fingers 2 cm in towards the nipple and circle around the breast again. Repeat this «action until you have covered the entire breast. Repeat procedure with your right breast. Feel under the armpit as well, since breast tissue is IN MEMORY: Terrace Elk Noel Martel unveils the memorial wall that now holds the plaques of eight departed Elks members. Memorial wall gets plaques AT A CEREMONY Oct. 21 in the Terrace cemetery, Terrace Elks unveiled the first plaques added to their new memorial wall. constructed this summer, was built so people can have a place to go to re- member loved oncs whose graves or ashes The wall, are elsewhere, “Tt’s something the cemetery needed,” said Terrace Elk, Jim Lecleir. The first cight plaques added to the wall represent past Elks who were Terrace old- Lecleir. timers. The plaques represent: Mitchell Kohl, John Smaha, Roy (Slim) Timerlake, Walter Bavanieski, John Olson, Lloyd Shannun, Albert Bishop and Allen Jenson. But the new wall isn’t just for Elks, said “Hopefully other people will add to it,”’ it’s required.’’ he said. ‘We can always extend the wall if Plaques for the wall can be purchased from the cily or MacKay’s Funeral Service. Terrace swears in new Canadians ELEVEN YEARS after moving to Canada from the United States, the Moye family is now officially Ca- nadian, Ata citizenship ceremony at Elks Hall, Oct. 19, the Moyes and about 50 other candidates took their Oath of Citizenship. Mercer Moye, pastor of the Skeena Valley Baptist Church, said his family wanted to become Canadian citizens because they feel Canada is their home. ‘My kids fecl more like Canadians than = Amer- icans,’’ he said. He said becoming a Cana- dian was important to him, because now he can feel free to speak on Canadian issues. “Before we felt a bit like outsiders, but now we can say we're Canadians,’ he said. Moye said he and his wife, Eleta and their four children Tabitha, Mercer Jr, Jack and Tammy moved to Cana- . da in 1987 to do mnissionary work in Vancouver. “But after living in Rich- mond for two and a half years, we felt we ought to go to a different arca and start a church,’” he said. When asked why he didn’t want to start up a church back in Tennessee, where he’s from, Moye said: “The south is filled with Baptist churches. There’s no need to start another one there,’’ Moye said there arc two other Baptist churches in Terrace, but he felt that Ter- race is where the Lord wanted him to come. Eleta said she likes Ter- race’s small town almo- sphere — the people here are friendlier. “Terrace is a good place to raise our children,’’ she said. He and Eleta, who met at bible college in Chicago, Started the Skeena Valley Baptist Church here seve years aga. Moye said there are a lot PROUD TO BE CANUCKS: The Moye family took their Oath of Citizenship Oct, 19 at a ceremony at Elks Hall. Pastor Mercer Moye, his wife Eleta and their chil- dren Jack, 14, Mercer Jr., 17, and Tammy are now Canadian citizens. of benefits in being Cana- dian. “We won't have trouble coming back and forth from the States anymore,” he said, "Plus, he can vote and run for office if he wants to. The only thing he said be missed about living in the United States is bis family... **Terrace is home, but we go back to the States cvery two years to visit family. I really miss family.”