A special activity located in the youth area this year is designed to create awareness about the importance of breast self-examination. Kits containing several different sized beads will be used to create necklaces. But these aren t just jewelry they carry an important message, Copps notes. The smallest beads represent the size lump detectable by mammography. Mid-sized beads show the average size lump found by a woman who examines her breasts regularly.
Larger beads represent lumps found by women who occasionally examine their breasts.
And the largest bead depicts the size lump found by women who rarely examine their breasts. People who make these necklaces may take them home to wear or to share with a woman they love, said Copps. The Oswego County Women s Health Partnership, a coalition of community agencies, sponsors the Women s Health Fair. The fair will offer free information about a variety of women s health issues, free screenings for cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, body fat analysis, and clinical breast exams by trained nurses. Featured guest speakers include Dolores Bogard, Ph.D., who will discuss cardiovascular disease in women, and Larry Brennan, M.S., R.N., who will talk about therapeutic effects of humor.