Breastival moves to Saturday in its third year

PALMER — What began as a sorority event at Johns Hopkins University a decade and a half ago, is now a regular event on the Mat-Su Regional Health Center calendar.

Put on by Valley Radiation, which is celebrating its 10th year of leading the fight against cancer in Alaska, this third annual event will be on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Free, as always, it’s the only Breastival event in the state, said Diana Arthur, Marketing Director for Anchorage and Valley Radiation.

“This was started to bring awareness to breast cancer and early detection,” she said. “This is our third year of working with the hospital on it.”

The first two years, the event was held on a Thursday night. This year, organizers decided to move it to Saturday to increase participation.

“We’ve always had at least 100 people, but we thought we’d try a Saturday afternoon to see if we can bump up numbers,” Arthur said. “Our hope is to get twice that many, given that our health fairs do very well on Saturdays.”

Also new to this year’s format is a guest speaker. Val Clark, from Solstice Family Care in Wasilla, will present on breast health and screenings on the third floor of the hospital from 11 a.m. to noon.

At noon there will be a complimentary lunch in the main lobby of the hospital, and thereafter, attendees will have the opportunity to tour from booth to booth.

“When attendees check in they get a passport, and when they visit each of the tables, they play a game, answer a trivia question and get a fun gift,” Arthur said. “Their passport gets stamped and they get educated and immersed. It’s a celebratory way to become educated.”

With the Breastival coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness month, Arthur said everyone attending is encouraged to wear pink.

“A lot of the exhibitors will be decked out in pink, and I’ve been making a point of reminding people that it’s early in the day, so they can participate and still make it back (to dress up) for their Halloween obligations.”

For more information on the Breastival, call Valley Radiation at (907) 792-1521.