Robert Rohe

DOS 772 Clinical Practicum II

8/4/2020

Taking It To The Streets For Breast Cancer

For this semester’s service project, I participated in a volunteer opportunity to help educate

individuals on breast cancer. The opportunity was through the SisterHermana Foundation and took

place on July 25th. Breast cancer will affect 1 in 8 women their lifetime. Although incidence rates are

similar between white and African American woman, survival outcomes are not. African American

women are 42% more likely to die from breast cancer due to late stage diagnosis and lack of access to

health care. The Taking It To The Streets For Breast Cancer initiative focuses on educating

neighborhoods in Jacksonville where the number of deaths from breast cancer is much higher per

person than the state of Florida as a whole.

I chose to participate in this volunteer opportunity because I felt I had witnessed these late

stage diagnoses firsthand. For about five years I worked as a radiation therapist at UF Health in

downtown Jacksonville. Our center was responsible for treating the inner-city cases. Many of the

women from this area that we treated for breast cancer had very advanced cases. Most of these

patients appeared to lack education on cancer and resources as well. When I read about this activity, I

felt like it was a great fit for me to get involved in.

The activity started out with us all meeting in a designated parking lot in the downtown area.

We divided into groups of two and were given different streets located in the high-risk area to pass out

packages. The packages contained information regarding breast cancer screening, a mask, and some

general information on other cancers that are prevalent in the area. There were not a ton of volunteers
for this activity. I’m told that there are usually more than what I saw, but it’s difficult to get people to

partake in the summer months due to the heat. It was a hot day, and I’m glad I brought plenty of water.

After we were done for the day I talked with the organizers for a while. They all had different

stories about how they were affected by cancer and were interested to hear from me because I work in

the field. I felt good about being able to participate in this event. I was nervous about it being canceled

due to the increase in COVID 19 cases we have seen in the Jacksonville area. All the people I met during

the day were very welcoming and thankful that we were taking time out of our day to help educate

them on breast cancer. It is definitely an activity I would participate in again. Below is a link to the

United Way’s website sharing information on the activity and some images from the event.

https://uwnefl.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=527180