Lynn Whitfield breast cancer

Actress Lynn Whitfield is a beautiful, classically trained actress who we’ve seen such films as Madea’s Family Reunion, Thin Line Between Love & Hate and she achieved international acclaim in the title role of The Josephine Baker Story. But Ms. Whitfield has her own story to tell.  The daughter of a breast cancer survivor, and mother of a beautiful young woman herself, Whitfield is spearheading a campaign as a means of broadening awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection among African American women.

“As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, I felt it was important to lend my voice to promote awareness of breast cancer and the importance of early detection,” stated the How To Get Away With Murder actress.

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Breast cancer is a disease that does not discriminate. However, breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women, and African American women are more likely than all other women to die from the disease.

“Through the ‘Taking Charge of Breast Cancer’ initiative, we are delivering a message of hope and empowerment to African American women,” stated Whitfield. “We encourage them to be more proactive in their lifestyle choices and in managing their health by getting yearly mammograms, conducting self-breast exams at regular intervals, eating right and exercising.”

The “Taking Charge of Breast Cancer” resource guide and educational DVD is designed to educate African American women about the lifestyle choices and other factors that may increase their risk for breast cancer as well as resources available for early detection.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States and it is the most common cancer among African American women. According to the American Cancer Society, although African American women are diagnosed with breast cancer less frequently than white women, African American women die more from the disease due to lack of screening and diagnosis. In fact, the five-year survival rate of breast cancer for African American women is 77%, compared to 90% for white women.

Early detection and treatment may help increase a woman’s chance of beating breast cancer and this is an important message for…

…all women. In addition to early detection and treatment, women should be aware of certain risk factors for breast cancer.

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These include age, family history, previous breast cancer or recurrence, being overweight, following a healthy and well-balanced diet and leading a sedentary lifestyle. For those who are diagnosed with the disease, we encourage them to seek treatment early, ask questions of their physicians and stay positive.

“As an actress, I believe that my greatest roles are ones that inspire and uplift,” said Whitfield. “I am therefore wholly committed to my latest role in the ‘Taking Charge of Breast Cancer’ campaign, as it is a role that can inspire women and their loved ones to take action and control over their health and their lives.”

And when speaking about the length of her own life and health, Whitfield simply states, “I feel honored that I was a vessel for something that is really important to our culture. You never know how God will use you, and I’m looking forward to a whole lot more. I’ll tell you, if anyone is trying to get rid of me, they’ll have a hard time.”