Author, breast-cancer survivor speaks at Special Evening for Women w/ link to curetoday.com

By Scott Meeker

smeeker@joplinglobe.com

It’s a disease sometimes referred to as the world’s largest sorority, Kathy LaTour says.

“But it’s a sorority you don’t want anyone to join, because the price is too high,” she said.

The editor-at-large of CURE magazine and author of “The Breast Cancer Companion,” LaTour was the featured speaker Saturday during the second annual Special Evening for Women.

The free event, held at Central Christian Church, was held by St. John’s Regional Medical Center as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It was designed as a way for women to get out and enjoy an evening of pampering, said Miranda Lewis, the media and promotions coordinator for St. John’s.

“If they or a loved one have breast cancer, it can help let them know that they’re not alone,” Lewis said. “There’s a tremendous amount of support for them.”

Vendors showcased clothing, prosthetic devices and more, and many booths were dedicated to pampering visitors — from makeup to hairstyles. Breast-cancer survivors modeled fashions from clothing stores such as The Buckle and Upstairs Boutique. Mingling among the crowd Saturday evening were tuxedo-clad doctors who served as escorts for the fashion-show participants.

The event serves as proof that people’s perception of breast cancer has come along way, said LaTour.

A native of Dallas, LaTour was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 1986 — a time when many of the resources now available to women were not around.

“When I was diagnosed, there were no support groups, no pink ribbons,” she said. “People didn’t even like to say ‘breast.’”

Malignancy had also spread to her lymph node, and LaTour went through chemotherapy and reconstructive surgeries. Twenty-one years later, she said she remains cancer free.

Drawing on her own experiences and interviews with more than 120 patients, doctors and family members of those coping with the disease, she published “The Breast Cancer Companion” in 1993.

“After the book came out, I started getting requests to speak from doctors,” she said.