Tami Chase, a nurse for the University Health Center, discovered she had breast cancer in November 2004.
The news was a devastating shock.
Surgery and rounds of chemotherapy and radiation ensued. Good friends and her two children helped her through the ordeal, she said.
“I wouldn’t let them see how scared I was,” she said.
Nearly a year later, Chase is cancer free and tonight she will walk the runway as one of 10 models participating in “Best Dressed Breast,” a fashion show promoting cancer prevention and healthy habits.
The event is a “cool and hip” way to educate students about breast cancer and other health issues, said Annie Dochnahl, a health educator for the Health Center.
The event, held in the EMU Ballroom today at 7 p.m., will promote “wise health practices,” and attendants will be encouraged to consider proper nutrition and physical activity as ways to improve health, Dochnahl said.
Students will learn how to prevent cancer by eating nutritiously and exercising regularly, she said.
The show will promote “the value of physical activity, the value of drinking alcohol not at all or in moderation, and the value of fruits, veggies and whole grains,” she said.
Dochnahl said these things can moderate estrogen, a female hormone that can facilitate tumor growth.
Alcohol can increase breast cancer risk, Dochnahl said. “People may be saddened to see that it’s as little as two drinks a day,” she said.
She also said binge drinking, a practice common among some college students, can increase breast cancer risks.
The event will also discuss myths about what might cause breast cancer, such as wearing deodorant or a tight bra.
New forms of birth control containing estrogen are also not likely to increase breast cancer risk, she said.
Dochnahl said the importance of self examinations will be stressed during the show.
“For 20-year-olds, self exams are tools at your fingertips to detect early tumors,” she said.
The American Cancer Society recommends that women perform self examinations every month beginning at age 20.
Because of breast density and radiation from the exam, women are not recommended to receive a mammogram until they are in their 40s, Dochnahl said.
A 25-year-old woman has about a one in 20,000 chance of having breast cancer, she said. But one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Chase followed cancer society recommendations and received a mammogram about every year. If her cancer had not been caught so early, her condition today may have been much worse, she said.
“Breast cancer doesn’t spell out death and doom,” she said.
At any stage of breast cancer, women of all ages have an 85 percent chance of surviving, Dochnahl said.
In its fourth year, the fashion show will feature models wearing clothing from several Eugene boutiques, such as The Juice, REI and Greater Goods.
Models will include student health educators, Health Center staff and a young mother from the community.
Between 400 and 500 people are expected to attend the event, Dochnahl said.
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