Healing Tea event encourages breast health

To help increase awareness of breast health among Native American women, Grand Valley's Kirkhof School of Nursing is co-sponsoring an event on Sunday, May 18, from 1-3 p.m. in the Exhibition Hall of DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids.

The 'Mother-Daughter Healing Tea' will feature rituals, stories, and lectures by area Native American women in an effort to stress the importance of early breast exams. Statistically, Native American women have a higher mortality rate of breast cancer than other populations because they do not seek early diagnoses.

The Kirkhof School of Nursing partnered with Native American Community Services of Grand Rapids to host the event. Pat Schafer, KSON associate dean, said the partnership received a year-long grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Grand Rapids to promote breast health and help get messages out.

'We asked the Native American women how best to get these messages out and they said inter-generationally, or from mother to daughter,' Schafer said.

During Sunday's event, Punkin Shananaquet, of the Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi, will teach participates native sacred medicines and introduce the shawl project, a parade of colorful native shawls that contain pink to signify the breast cancer symbol.