ETSU’s Student Wellness Center hosted the ‘Breastival’ to raise awareness and show support for breast cancer survivors and those impacted. 

The Breastival was held on Thursday at University Commons on ETSU’s campus from 12-4 p.m. Students were able to go by and receive information about breast cancer and pick up some free gifts. 

ETSU makes health a priority for its students and community and hosting the Breastival is a great way to promote healthy habits when it comes to breast cancer. ETSU’s Student Wellness Center hosts events like this throughout the year to bring awareness to health and show ETSU’s support.

Photo of awareness ribbons given out at Brestival. (ShelC’ Black/East Tennessean)

Kylee McGee, ETSU’s Campus Recreation office coordinator, shared her story of finding out she had breast cancer and what her journey looked like. 

“I feel like there’s a whole grieving process, but my first instinct was, I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to be as aggressive as they’ll let me,” McGee said.

It is important for women at the age of 45 to get yearly mammograms, and for younger women to do self-checks and feel for any abnormalities. Information and resources about how to get checked could be found at the Breastival. 

“I very strongly recommend any woman that might have a lump no matter how small or whether they’re concerned or not to go have it checked out. You can never overreact, if there’s any question or concern go to your doctor,” McGee said. 

The Breastival is an annual event in October for breast cancer awareness month. Students who missed this event can look for similar events in the community or attend next year. Resources for screening or support can also be found online or by emailing student wellness. For more information about student wellness, students can visit the ETSU website at https://campusrec.etsu.edu/Program/GetProgramDetails?courseId=ea817da6-3d77-4d65-9b37-1c35269b119b&semesterId=51dca3d3-129a-4430-aeb3-b20076045ef4 for more information. 

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