Brandyn Barbara Artis
When actress Brandyn Barbara Artis experienced breast cancer in 1987, she had no African-American role models for what she was facing.
So she wrote "Sister Girl," a one-woman play based on the journal she kept before, during and after her treatment. At 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 12, Artis will add Nashville's War Memorial Auditorium to the list of venues across the United States and in England where she has performed "Sister Girl."
The free performance, co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt Cancer Center (VCC), will be among the highlights of the 1997 Women's Health Forum, a series of programs to raise awareness of and provide education about breast cancer.
Eligible women who attend "Sister Girl" will receive vouchers for a free screening mammography. Reservations are suggested. Call 936-3727.
Each October, the VCC and the Vanderbilt Breast Center offer the Women's Health Forum in conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All events are open to the public and free of charge, unless otherwise noted.
Other highlights include:
€ Wednesday, Oct. 1, the opening of "Mourning Sickness," an exhibit of work created by artist Keith Smith after the death of his wife. Smith will make an opening presentation at noon in 2701 The Vanderbilt Clinic. The exhibit will be displayed on the hospital mezzanine through December. For more information, call 936-1234.
€ Monday, Oct. 13, 11:30 a.m., the Women's Health Forum Luncheon, Vanderbilt Stadium Club.
The luncheon will feature a special presentation of "Sister Girl" as well as the presentation of the Frances Williams Preston Award for Breast Cancer Awareness to state Sen. Anna Belle Clement O'Brien and Dr. Benjamin F. Byrd Jr., clinical professor of Surgery.
The luncheon is $12 for Vanderbilt faculty, staff or spouses, and $15 for members of the community. To obtain a registration form, call 936-3727.
€ A series of brown-bag lunches and breakfasts in the Breast Center Conference Room, 2002 Village at Vanderbilt. Topics and times are as follows:
Friday, Oct. 3, noon, Life after Breast Cancer: Living with Lymphedema, noon.
Friday, Oct. 10, noon, The Politics of Breast Cancer.
Thursday, Oct. 16, 7:30 a.m., and Friday, Oct. 17, noon, Breast Cancer Recurrence: Which Aches and Pains Do I Worry About?
Thursday, Oct. 23, 7:30 a.m., and Friday, Oct. 24, noon, Recent Advances in the Management of Breast Cancer.
Friday, Oct. 31, noon, Your Cancer Family Tree: Are We Ready for Genetic Testing?
€ Sunday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m., a Vanderbilt team will participate in the Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure. Nobel laureate Stanley Cohen, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, is the honorary race captain of the VCC team in this 5K run/walk to support breast cancer research. The race begins in Centennial Park.
To register for the Race for the Cure or to learn more about any of the forum events, call 936-1782.