By Aida Toro —

October is national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of death among women. On October 26, NJCU held a Breast Cancer Awareness event, also known as the 5th Annual Rhonda Berry Health & Wellness Symposium.

Rhonda Berry was a student at NJCU and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was a energetic young woman that reached out to help others. However, the 5th annual symposium was based on health & wellness.

“This is the fifth year the event has happened. It was more of a somber program in her memory,” says Joy L. Smith, Opportunity Scholarship Program Counselor.

Every year that a Symposium is done for Breast Cancer Awareness month, Rhonda Berry is always in memory. However, this event was more on prevention and how Rhonda became a motivation for women.

“This event is based on prevention and detection and to honor her life and legacy as well,” says Tamara T. Cunningham, Assistant to the director for University Advisement Center. “Rhonda was like a trail blazer for the cause of breast cancer.”

In this event, a lot of presentations were made. Presentations were by Rhonda’s family, nursing students from NJCU, and science experts. There were some breast cancer factors that people were not aware of. For instance, a breast cancer factor that was unexpectedly mentioned was birth control pills. Some young ladies starting at age 17 take birth control pills when they become sexually active. Another factor of breast cancer is obesity. Therefore, women should exercise often along with eating healthy to help prevent breast cancer. Overall, these factors were mentioned so women can be aware of risk factors and how to avoid them.

The 5th Annual Rhonda Berry Health Wellness & Symposium was a success. Women learned a lot about breast cancer and how to prevent it, in addition to maintaining a healthy life style.