Of the more than 300,000 members of Presbyterian Women, approximately 37,500 will experience breast cancer and almost 5,500 will experience ovarian cancer in their lifetimes The number of women who are touched by cancer climbs when you count their families and friends. Thus, women need to take charge of their health and Presbyterian Women can play an important role in educating women on health issues, including cancers specifically related to women.

Breast Cancer
One in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer each year. This means approximately 192,000 will get breast cancer in 2002 and approximately 40,800 women will die from it this year. For women, breast cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer. An annual mammogram, a breast exam by a physician and a monthly self-exam can reduce breast cancer mortality. Currently, 62 percent of breast cancer occurrences are discovered at an early stage when the five-year survival rate is 96 percent.

Risk factors for breast cancer include age, menstruation at an early age, menopause at a late age, obesity following menopause, not bearing children or having children at a late age, daily alcohol consumption, long-term use of hormone replacement therapy, infrequent physical activity/exercise, genetic factors and family history.

Cervical Cancer
Symptoms for cervical cancer include bleeding after intercourse, excessive vaginal discharge and abnormal bleeding. While the Pap smear exists as an effective test for detecting cervical cancer, not every women gets this test every year. It is important for women to know the value of this test and the importance of having it performed annually. Approximately 12,800 women will experience cervical cancer this year and 4,600 will die because of it.

Risk factors for cervical cancer include smoking, a high number of sexual partners, first intercourse at an early age and socioeconomic class, since lack of access to medical care means some women will not have regular Pap smears and early diagnosis.

Ovarian Cancer
One in 55 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her lifetime. This means approximately 23,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2002 and approximately 14,000 (more than 50 percent of those diagnosed) will die. If caught early, ovarian cancer is as curable as breast cancer. However, the vast majority (75 percent) of cases are discovered in late stages and only 25 percent of women diagnosed at these stages will survive five years.

Many women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer will experience at least one of its symptoms prior to diagnosis—pelvic pain, cramps, abnormal vaginal bleeding, constipation or diarrhea, fatigue, urinary tract problems, indigestion, a feeling of fullness, bloating, abdominal swelling, backache, discomfort and appetite loss.

Factors which may increase a woman's risk for developing ovarian cancer include two or more close relatives with ovarian cancer; a family history of ovarian, breast or colon cancer; a personal history of breast, endometrial or colon cancer, infertility and not bearing children. Multiple exposures to fertility drugs may also be a risk factor.

Uterine Cancer
Uterine cancer can be successfully treated when discovered early, so it is important for a woman to pay attention to her body's symptoms. Approximately 36,100 women will experience uterine/endometrial cancer this year and 6,500 will die because of this disease. Eighty-four percent of those diagnosed (all stages) will survive 5 years.

Cancer of the endometrium (the uterine lining) can be diagnosed early and women should visit their doctor if they have symptoms that include irregular vaginal bleeding before menopause and any bleeding following menopause. Uterine cancer risk factors include obesity, hypertension, diabetes, inappropriate estrogen use, tamoxifen use and late menopause.

What You Can Do
With more information, women can take advantage of the screening programs and know the relevant symptoms.

• Write an article for your Presbyterian Women newsletter. Feature one or more Presbyterian women who have experienced these cancers and highlight the symptoms and screening tests available. The article could also examine the role that faith played in each woman's healing.
• Hold a women's health fair (this could include other health issues).
• Offer a training/education session on women's cancers (symptoms, screening tests, treatments, etc.) at a circle or other Presbyterian Women meeting.
• Invite one or more cancer survivors to speak at a circle or other Presbyterian Women meeting—a local cancer support group or advocacy group might suggest possible speakers.
• Find out if your state, county or city has a free screening program for low-income or women at-risk and share the information with women in your congregation.

Resources
For more information or for help in planning a health education event, contact:

National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations
(888) 806-2226; www.nabco.org

Gynecologic Cancer Foundation
(800) 444-4441; www.wcn.org

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
(202) 331-1332; www.ovariancancer.org

National Cervical Cancer Coalition
(818) 909-3849; www.nccc-online.org

More Ways You Can Help
Visit the breast cancer Web site (www.thebreastcancersite.com) where you can click (once daily) to help pay cover the cost of mammograms for working-poor women whose opportunity to receive this type of help is limited.

Another way to help is to buy breast cancer prevention and research postage stamps. Challenge each person you know to purchase at least one sheet of 20 stamps to honor each woman whose protection from breast cancer is important to them. Each sheet of stamps (20 stamps per sheet) will put another $1.20 to work for breast cancer research and prevention.

What can you and I do to ensure there is access to good health care for all, especially for women and children? There are four very important areas of legislation that we need to follow and lobby for in the early months of 2002.

1. The reauthorization of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)
   As people of faith, we are called to stand for justice for those who are the most vulnerable. The reauthorization of TANF will provide critical funding for needy families for the next five to ten years. The events of September 11 have put the needs of the poor on the back burner—especially the working poor and the disabled poor. The entire community benefits as our welfare rolls get smaller, but reducing poverty will depend on how our government legislates safe and affordable housing, education and access to good health care. It is important to note that 72 percent of the TANF caseload is children, whose welfare depends on that of their parents.
2. Early Treatment for HIV/AIDS-H.S. 2063—The Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2001
   This bill amends the Social Security Act to allow states to provide medical coverage for low-income women infected with HIV who do not meet the present categorical requirements (a woman must be under 18 years of age, be pregnant or have dependent children to qualify). Early treatment for HIV has tremendous benefits; however, a whole segment of low income women are prevented from receiving those benefits by these categorical restrictions.
3. The Mental Health Parity Act
   This would prevent an insurance company from limiting how many therapy visits a person could receive and maintain their insurance coverage, a decision that should only be determined by patient and physician, as it is in all other medical procedures.
4. The Patient Bill of Rights 2001 (House of Representative approved)
   This will require health plans to cover inpatient stays resulting from a mastectomy or lumpectomy as requested by the patient's physician. However, it does restrict lawsuits, limiting damages to $1.5 million.

Advocates' responses for all of these issues should be directed to the appropriate Senators and Representatives:

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3131

Congressional Web site: www.congress.gov.

Daily, women must cope with stress caused by a multitude of activities and events. Since the events of September 11, the level of stress among North Americans has increased and questions of post-traumatic stress have been added. Kristine Holmes, parish nurse for the First Presbyterian Church of Howard County in Columbia, Maryland, created a helpful list of suggestions for adults coping with these increased levels of stress.

• Cut down on stimulation
• Balance vigorous exercise with rest
• Eat well-balanced meals
• Talk about how you are feeling
• Pray and go to church
• Take care of yourself
• Talk to your pastor or a counselor

The entire article can be found at www.pcusa.org/pcnews/oldnews/2001/01329.htm

For more information on how to handle stress in your busy life, check the January/February 1999 issue of Horizons, the magazine of Presbyterian Women, which includes articles such as "Sabbath" (page 4), "The Pursuit of Happiness" (page 9), "Ministering to the Whole Person" (page 12) and "A Friendly Walk" (page 17). Single issues of Horizons can be ordered for $3 each by calling Presbyterian Distribution Service, (800) 524-2612, or by visiting the Horizons Web site, www.pcusa.org/horizons.

Malaria is a disease that is virtually unknown in the United States, but for millions of people in developing countries, it is a life-threatening health problem. Malaria is responsible for more than two million deaths each year, most of them young children and pregnant women. For the past three years, Presbyterians in the United States have been helping women in Africa and Asia protect their families from malaria through the NetWorkers Malaria Prevention Program. Networkers projects, facilitated through a partnership of PC(USA) International Health Ministries and Presbyterian Women, provide malaria prevention education and mosquito nets at 15 locations where malaria perpetuates a vicious cycle of disease and poverty.

Annually, there are 500 million cases of malaria. Malaria is the most frequent cause of death among children under five in Africa. In Malawi, one in five women has lost a child to malaria and in Africa, malaria endangers more than 24 million pregnancies each year, causing miscarriages, premature deliveries and low birthweight babies. Pregnant women are four times more likely than nonpregnant women to be infected with malaria and twice as likely to die from it.

Participants in Presbyterian Women have responded to these tragic statistics with a growing level of support for the NetWorkers program. Since 1999, more than 30,000 mosquito nets have been provided through community level NetWorkers projects implemented through the women of PC(USA) partner churches overseas—7,000 of these nets were sewn by individuals or PW groups. Women representing 119 of our denomination's 173 presbyteries have participated in the NetWorkers program.

Presbyterian Women is now on the leading edge of a collaborative malaria prevention effort that is recognized and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States government. In 2000, the NetWorkers program came to the attention of the World Health Organization as it was developing a global campaign called "Massive Effort," aimed at combating the diseases of poverty—AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The W HO encouraged the PC(USA) to facilitate other faith-based organizations in an ecumenical response to the scourge of malaria.

In 2001, the PC(USA) formed a partnership with the Reformed Church in America to develop an ecumenical malaria prevention program aimed specifically at pregnant women. Last fall this initiative, called the Christian Women's NetWorkers Program, received a grant from the United States Centers for Disease Control, making it one of the first faith-based health programs to receive funding from the United States government. A project to provide antenatal malaria prevention and mosquito nets to pregnant women is now being established through the PC(USA)'s partner church in Malawi.

To support this health initiative for expectant mothers, a Mother's Day alternative giving project was offered last year, providing an opportunity for Presbyterians to honor their mothers with a special NetWorkers Mother's Day card. Donations received through the 2001 Net Workers Mother's Day project purchased more than 4,000 mosquito nets to protect pregnant women and, later, their newborns. NetWorkers Mother's Day cards will be available again this spring.

Resources, including a new Net Workers brochure, poster and photos from project sites, are now ready for congregations interested in building awareness and participation in this global health mission.

To obtain these resources, or for more information on the Net Workers program and the Mother's Day project, contact Gail Bingham, International Health Ministries, PC(USA), (888) 728-7228, x5573; email Gail.

More than 13 million children worldwide have been orphaned by AIDS. Of these children, more than 12 million live in sub-Saharan Africa. It has been estimated that by 2010 more than 30 million children will have lost one or both parents due to AIDS. Because of the rapidly increasing numbers of orphans and vulnerable children, churches and communities are struggling to provide for the basic needs of the children in their care.

Funds contributed to an Extra Commitment Opportunity (ECO) entitled "AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Africa" (ECO # 051674) will help provide food, housing, education, medical expenses and other needs for these children. Along with direct care for children, gifts to this ECO will help provide training for the caregivers of these children, bringing them to visit and learn from model projects so they will be able to provide the best quality care possible.

Individuals should send their contributions to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Individual Remittance Processing, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Please include your name and the project number (ECO # 051674) on your check. Make your check payable to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).