ST. LOUIS — Sista Strut St. Louis will step off its 14th annual breast cancer awareness walk on Saturday, October 7. The organization shines a light on the disease's impact on women of color.
Black women are disproportionately affected by the most aggressive forms of breast cancer and are more likely to develop breast cancer at a younger age with the cancer progressing further along at the time of detection.
Sista Strut is teaming up with Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University to deliver life-saving information during the walk.
Saturday, Siteman's Mammogram Van will be out in Downtown St. Louis on the west side of 15th Street, between Chestnut and Market. Appointments will be taken from 7:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. for mammograms. Mammograms are available at no cost to women who qualify. Women under the age of 40 need to have a physician's order to receive a mammogram onboard the van.
Participants can call 314-747-7222 or 800-600-3606 to book an appointment for a mammogram. Appointments are necessary. The van is not handicap accessible.
Early detection is crucial because, statistically, black women are more likely than any other racial and ethnic group to be diagnosed at later stages of breast cancer, and have the lowest survival rate.
The Sista Strut Breast Cancer Awareness Walk starts Saturday morning with a car parade and registration at 7 a.m.
There will be a pep rally at 8 a.m. and 5 on Your Side's Sydney Stallworth will serve as this year's pep rally emcee. The walk steps off at 9 a.m. on Market Street and 15th Street.