Several speakers were on hand to share their personal experiences with breast cancer at the West Virginia Breast Cancer Awareness Day luncheon held at the First United Methodist Church in Williamson.

The luncheon was sponsored by the Mingo County Health Depart-ment, GFWC-WV Woman’s Club and the W.Va. Breast and Cervical Caner Screen-ing Program.

Barbara Van Zant was the chairperson of Breast Cancer Awareness Day 2009.

She said even sports teams were helping with awareness this year.

“Both Marshall and West Virginia University had pink ribbon symbols on their helmets this weekend,” Van Zant said. “The word is definitely getting out there.”

Mingo County Commis-sion President John Mark Hubbard pledged the support of the commission to help support the cause of breast cancer awareness.

“There is nothing more important to us than the health of the people of Mingo County,” Hubbard said.

Fellow Commissioner Greg “Hootie” Smith shared the story of a close friend who lost her life to the disease.

“A member of our church family, Myra Newsome, lost her life at the age of 35

to breast cancer,” Smith said. “My wife Christine promised to help her daughters, to fix their hair for the prom. And that was a promise she kept.

“We have continued to stay close to those girls, they are like younger sisters to me,” he continued. “I know what breast cancer can do to a family.”

Vicki Hatfield is a registered nurse with William-son Family Care Center. She spoke to the group about early detection and treatment.

“The best plan is to follow the guidelines set out by the American Cancer Society,” Hatfield said. “With early detection, nine out of 10 women can survive.”

She said abnormalities that can be caught with a mammogram are usually undetectable by self-examinations and annual mammograms. Women who have no maternal family history of breast cancer should begin having the tests at age 40, but if there is a strong indicator, the exams may need to be started earlier.

Hatfield went on to discuss risk factors for breast cancer and what women can do to cut reduce risks. Some behaviors that may contribute to breast cancer rates include smoking, being overweight or inactive, drinking more than four ounces of alcohol per day and using hormone replacement therapy.

Add those to other factors, such as a strong family history of cancer, having a first full term pregnancy after the age of 30, early onset of menstruation or late menopause, and the odds significantly increase, she said.

The chances of getting breast cancer increases with age, from one in 2044 at age 20 to one in 24 at age 70. Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age usually have more invasive cancer, which requires more aggressive treatment.

The treatment of breast cancer depends on individual patients, Hatfield said. Typical treatment options are a lumpectomy followed up by radiation and chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and newer treatments such as antibody therapy and hormone therapy.

Judy Hamrick spoke about remembering those who have battled cancer, both the survivors as well as those who have been lost to the disease. She helped light candles to commemorate their lives.

“Every candle has a name,” Hamrick said. “We need to remember our loved ones.”