Visible Reminder Encoreplus Will Be Working With The Postal Service This Summer To Educate The Public About Breast Cancer

Sat., June 8, 1996

Nina Culver Correspondent

(From For the Record, Tuesday, June 11, 1996:) A dedication ceremony for the new Breast Cancer Awareness stamp will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NorthTown Mall. The date was incorrect in last Saturday’s IN Life section.

Breast cancer may not be as high profile as lung cancer or heart disease, but more and more people are becoming aware of the disease that will kill about 44,000 women in the United States this year. In a move designed to further increase the level of awareness, the U.S. Postal Service is releasing a breast cancer stamp June 15.

Kathy Hamilton, local customer relations coordinator for the Postal Service, says she’s glad the stamp is coming out now instead of in October - the official cancer awareness month - when it could get lost in the shuffle. “We need to think about breast cancer all year long,” she says.

The Postal Service will make a one-time printing of about 100 million breast cancer stamps, Hamilton says. She estimates they will run out by the end of the summer.

“When they’re gone, they’re gone,” she said.

The stamp was designed by Tom Mann of Virginia, who also designed the AIDS awareness stamp. The breast cancer stamp is the latest in a long line of stamps designed to raise awareness about issues such as drug abuse, environmental protection and conservation.

Hamilton says the Postal Service wants to encourage people to use the stamp rather than save it. Having it out in circulation will do more to raise awareness.

In an unusual move, the Postal Service is also waiving its copyright fees on the design. IRS-qualified non-profit organizations are free to reproduce the stamp design for fund-raising purposes. ENCOREplus, a national program through the YWCA, will be working closely with the Postal Service this summer to educate the public about breast cancer. The ENCOREplus program educates women about breast cancer, provides referrals for free mammograms and teaches women how to perform breast self-examinations. It also provides a support program for women who have been treated for breast cancer.

In addition, ENCOREplus assists in the more mundane but equally important things, such as helping with transportation for medical appointments or providing child care during appointments.

Pamela Arvizu, outreach coordinator for ENCOREplus in Spokane, looks forward to the stamp for its education potential.

“I think this will really help a lot,” she said.

The program tries through education to dispel the myths that surround breast cancer. Risk factors such as a family history of breast cancer, being childless, or not having children until after age 30 do increase the chance of breast cancer, but 70 percent of all cases occur in women who have no risk factors at all.

“The biggest risk factors are that you’re a woman and you’re getting older,” Arvizu says.

One estimate is that 184,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone. With early detection, the survival rate is about 90 percent.

It is important for women to take steps to take care of themselves, Arvizu says, especially since women tend to ignore their own health and take care of everyone else instead.

The best way to catch breast cancer at an early and highly treatable stage is to combine regular mammograms, self-exams and doctor exams to search for lumps, says Arvizu. The recommended mammogram schedule is to have the first one by age 40, have one every two years between the ages of 40 and 49, and have them performed annually after age 50.

For women under 40, self-exams should be done every month. A doctor should perform an exam every three years and annually after age 40.

The dedication ceremony for the breast cancer stamp will be at the NorthTown Mall today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ENCOREplus will be handing out brochures and other information.

Nonprofit organizations wanting to use the stamp design for fund-raising purposes must send their request for artwork to Hamilton Projects Inc., Attn: Breast Cancer Awareness Stamp, 1700 Broadway 9th Floor, New York, NY 10019-5992.

ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.