Breast cancer … not just a disease
of older women
By Katherina Dehaas
kdehaas@uwo.ca
You might recognize Shanna Larsen even if you
never met her. She is the face you might have seen on buses and
billboards — the face behind a breast cancer awareness campaign
aimed at young women. The message is simple; breast cancer is
not just a disease of older women.
 |
| Photo by Katherina Dehaas |
| Shanna's face and message adorn a bus shelter
in Woodstock. |
It's a message Shanna exemplifies. She lost her life to the disease
in 2005, at age 24.
It all started in the fall of 2004 when Shanna felt "not
right," said Robyn Valentine, her lifelong best friend.
"She had pain in her ribs and in her side. I have a memory
of her in my room. She tried to pick up a bag and it was painful.
Even laughing was painful," said Valentine. "She knew
something wasn't right."
And then Shanna suffered a strange break near her collarbone.
"The calcium was being leached out by the cancer. Her bones
were brittle," said Valentine.
Then she started to get really sick the following January (2005).
"She came to my birthday party the weekend before the diagnosis
… even though she felt so sick — she felt she had to
be there. What a friend. She must have been in excruciating pain,"
said Valentine.
Shanna called her best friend, who was at home in Woodstock,
on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 16, 2005, with the bad news.
"When she called me to tell me her diagnosis, she didn't
seem surprised. I still find that to be remarkable," said
Valentine.
It wasn't a lump that clued the doctors in; the diagnosis came
as a result of a blood test. It was only later that Shanna found
the lump, by accident.
"It all happened so quick. She really didn't have a chance
to fight it," said Valentine.
Shanna died at her home, also in Woodstock, on May 14, just a
few months later.
In Shanna's case, doctors may have missed the cancer because
it was so unexpected. She was not at high risk, said Valentine.
"Shan did not have the risk factors, except maybe being
of European descent. She had no family history. She didn't smoke.
She lived a healthy lifestyle," said Valentine.
"There was no reason to bet that she would get this disease,
no warning signs and no (previous) scares."
After she died, the Larsen family held a celebration of her life.
It was a gathering of friends and family.
But as time went on, Shanna's mother, Lorna Larsen, decided that
it wasn't enough. She began researching what information was available
to young women about their risk of breast cancer. She was shocked
by what she found, or more accurately what she did not find.
"We identified there was a gap because awareness for young
women was lacking. Nothing had been done to warn them," she
said.
"The statistics speak for themselves — 400 women in
Ontario aged 15 to 39 will be diagnosed with breast cancer this
year and 60 of them will die."
Armed with that knowledge, Lorna took on the challenge of creating
Team Shan, an awareness campaign that would be aimed at young
women. She became dedicated to creating a positive change out
of her personal tragedy.
"There are no words in the English language to describe
the profound sadness of losing a child. I miss her every minute
of every day. But to make a difference could be a positive outcome
to the tragedy of her death," she said.
 |
| Photo by Katherina Dehaas |
| Lorna Larsen started Team Shan in memory
of her daughter. |
The buses and billboard campaign kicked off Oct. 1 to coincide
with breast cancer awareness month, and ran through December.
It included the placement of ads in highly visible areas, and
billboards on buses and on bus shelters. Each used a photo of
Shanna, taken by her brother Kris Larsen, as well as her lifespan,
1981-2005, along with the message Team Shan hoped to spread: Breast
cancer … not just a disease of older women.
"Overall, women were impressed with the billboards and bus
ads. It seemed to be Shan's face — they saw themselves and
read the message and realized," said Lorna.
She vividly remembers the first time she saw one of the billboards.
It was at the corner of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Highway
2 in Woodstock.
"It was the first one I saw … I pulled over and looked
at it. I had my camera so I took a picture," she said.
"It was bigger than life."
Shanna's best friend remembers it too.
"The one that sticks out for me was at Mill Street in Woodstock.
It stopped me cold. I should have known to be expecting it but
I was overwhelmed with emotion. I thought Shanna looked very beautiful
in the picture. I was very proud," said Valentine.
In testing the campaign among 300 young women, the response was
overwhelmingly positive. The key seemed to be Shanna's face, said
Lorna.
"It got their attention and then the very strong message
could be heard," she said.
Valentine agreed. "Once you see the message, hear the story,
it absorbs you; you can't turn away," she said.
In addition to using her face, a portion of the last piece of
art completed by Shan, a collection of bright and cheerful sunflowers,
has been used as a symbol in the campaign. The original hangs
in her family home.
"It was the last piece. She completed it while she was ill.
We didn't know it was breast cancer at that point," said
Lorna.
It was a deliberate move to include another small piece of Shan's
reality, and part of what Lorna and Valentine believe made the
campaign so successful.
It has since come to a close but Lorna continues to maintain
the campaign website and speaks to various groups across Canada
about Shanna's story. Shanna, who graduated from the University
of Western Ontario with a degree in Fine Arts in 2004, would have
turned 27 on March 13.
Valentine still reflects on the motivation of Team Shan to get
the message out in the future.
"I feel Shan would never want someone else to go through
what she went through and if we can save just one person then
we've accomplished something big — even if it is just one
person."
