“I thought of breast cancer as an old white woman’s disease – and I’m neither of those,” said Ebony Steele, co-host of the syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show that airs weekdays in St. Louis on Hot 104.1 FM.
Five years ago, Steele was just getting settled into her 30s. She was in the process of introducing herself to her new audience as the Ricky Smiley Morning Show expanded to multiple cities when she revealed to them that she had cancer.
“It’s surreal and it’s scary,” Steele admitted.
Her experience was unique not only in that she was young (just 35), but she doesn’t have a family history of cancer – which must have added to her fears.
However, something quite magical happened when she made the brave decision to make her diagnosis public.
“Circle of Promise came to me after I made my announcement to let me know that I wasn’t alone,” Steele said. “You don’t know who to turn or have anybody close that has gone through it, but they provide an outlet to give you all the information and support that you need.”
An element of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Circle of Promise is a movement designed to further engage black women around the globe in the fight against breast cancer.
Since her diagnosis and treatment, Steele has joined the Circle to say the least. She has used her national platform to raise awareness on behalf of breast cancer survivors and promoting awareness – which will be the core of her message when she speaks to audiences at Harris-Stowe State University next weekend.
Steele is just one of the special guests for The St. Louis American, Komen St. Louis and Siteman Cancer Center and Circle of Promise Breast Cancer Awareness Event and Wellness Fair on Saturday.
“Knowledge is the key,” Steele said. “I would never have been able to treat my breast cancer had I not known that it even existed. I consider myself blessed in that I found the lump myself and was able to go and get the diagnosis and get the treatment early.”
Steele’s treatment included radiation and surgery, but she believes prayer and support were just as essential to her healing.
“You need a support system – my family was my biggest support to me and that was very, very important to me,” Steele said. “It gave me something to hope for and to want to live for.”
Steele is now completely cancer-free, but more determined than ever to make sure that the community – especially the one that assumes that breast cancer is not their disease – is being proactive in the effort to curb the statistics.
“My message that I’m trying to get out there is take charge of your health, know what’s going on with your body,” Steele said. “The bottom line is you won’t know your breast is different if you aren’t doing self-exams to get a baseline to know if something has changed or is different.”
But as The Circle showed Steele, eliminating the breast cancer epidemic in the African-American community is not about you.
“It shouldn’t just be about you, it should be a movement for all women,” Steele said.
“You might get a mammogram and know that you are fine, but have you encouraged your aunt, your sister or your mother? It is not just the disease itself that kills people – it is untreated, undiagnosed breast cancer. Early detection is the key.”
At stake is the future.
“We are the matriarchs of the family, so we need to be there to hold it down,” Steele said. “And we need to be here so we can do that for the next generations to come.”
The St. Louis American, Komen St. Louis and Siteman Cancer Center present Circle of Promise: A Special Breast Cancer Awareness Event and Wellness Fair will take place from 1–4 p.m. Saturday, June 2 at the Emerson Performing Arts Auditorium of Harris-Stowe State University. For more information or to register, call 314-289-5413 or e-mail events@stlamerican.com.
