When her roommate found a lump in her breast last October, special education junior Jeanette Lantzy knew she wanted to do something to help out.
“It was a scare for all of us,” Lantzy said.
Although her friend’s lump turned out to be benign, the reality of breast cancer motivated Lantzy and a group of friends to team up with about 30 campus organizations to participate in Tell a Friend, Save a Life, a campaign associated with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast cancer can appear in college-aged women, but the Tell a Friend, Save a Life campaign will focus on women over the age of 40, when most women are at risk. Participants in the campaign will call as many women they can over 40 during the week of Oct. 21-27 and ask them to receive a mammography, which can detect breast cancer in its early stages.
The program is sponsored by the Michigan chapter of the American Cancer Society and is the first year MSU has participated, said Laura Murphy, an MSU intern at the society.
“It will transform MSU in terms of this program,” the social relations senior said.
Many women don’t have information on breast cancer, but this program will give them that, Murphy said.
The program’s goal is to call 2,500 women, but participants are encouraged to call as many women as possible, Murphy said. Participants will start by calling people they know, such as their mothers and other friends of family, she said.
Zoology senior Hillary Noyes, a member MSU’s Women’s Council, said her group plans on making phone calls during Women’s Weekend, Oct. 26-27.
Noyes said there will be tents set up around campus where participants will make phone calls from their cell phones.
The group also will accept donations of phone cards and money, so members also can call women from pay phones, Noyes said.
This is the largest involvement in breast-cancer awareness the Women’s Council has participated in, Noyes said. “Everyone we know will be there.”
New volunteers are still welcome to participate in Tell a Friend, Save a Life program, Murphy said.
