Beaufort Memorial kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with survivor expo, beauty tutorial

In celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Beaufort Memorial hosted its first-ever Breast Cancer Survivors Wellness Expo in early October, as well as featured a beauty tutorial for patients at their monthly support group meeting. 

The expo was held Saturday, Oct. 5 from 8 to 11:30 a.m. in the Beaufort Medical & Administrative Center’s rear parking lot and was a morning of celebration of survivorship for the community. 

“We feel patients and their loved ones don’t celebrate the wins in ‘survivorship’ as much as they should,” said Chimene Heyward, MSN, RN, breast care navigator at the Beaufort Memorial Breast Health Center and expo organizer. “We feel that patients who utilize their resources can be better prepared to make informed decisions about their care. We want to make this a fun event filled with great information to help these survivors know all the resources available to them at Beaufort Memorial and in our local community.” 

This new event will be an annual opportunity for education, fun and connection for breast cancer patients, survivors, family members and caregivers, supporting a successful breast cancer journey and long-term survivorship. The expo also offered a wealth of information about genetic testing for those at risk for developing breast cancer, whether attendees were Beaufort Memorial patients or not. 

Expo attendees were met with a wealth of resources on women’s health and wellness, fashion, beauty and nutrition, all while enjoying local foods and beverages, shopping, giveaways and more. 

At Beaufort Memorial, patients receive compassionate, whole-person care with all the resources they and their loved ones need to manage a breast cancer diagnosis. To learn more about breast cancer care navigation, resources or support groups, click here. 

Breast cancer support group learns beauty tips, tricks 

Beaufort Memorial teamed up with local professionals to offer survivors a beauty techniques tutorial at October’s breast cancer support group meeting on Oct. 9. 

“This is an opportunity to learn various beauty techniques that can help counter some of the physical challenges that may arise when a patient has begun their journey of treatment,” said Kianna Brown, LMSW, the oncology social worker who facilitates the support group. “Above all, it’s an evening to laugh together, have a little fun and feel pampered, celebrating the inner beauty each and every one of us have within and sharing it with one another!” 

The breast cancer support group meets on the second Wednesday of every month. Participation in Beaufort Memorial’s support groups is free and open to the public, but reservations are required; space is limited.