Teen Girl Scout helps raise breast cancer awareness

Julia Lewis is only 13 and a Girl Scout, but she says one is never too young to spread the news about avoiding breast cancer.

She has delved into the subject and produced an educational DVD for Girl Scouts across the country, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The DVD is part of her Girl Scout Silver Award project. It includes 10 interviews with doctors, survivors, an oncology nurse, a medical dosimetrist, psychologists and a nutritionist/personal trainer.

Julia, her mom, Andrea Male, and her grandmother, Kathy Lewis, mailed more than 130 DVDs to Girl Scout Councils on Sept. 29. They were packaged in jewel cases and boxed with a Breast Cancer Guardian Angel, directions on how to make the angels and a survey sheet.

Julia has asked each council to evaluate her project and mail back the survey.

In the survey, Julia said, “Enclosed you will find an educational DVD on breast cancer awareness that was the main part of my Silver Award project. I am enclosing a Breast Cancer Awareness Guardian Angel that I designed and attached to an information card. I have made them and placed them in baskets at doctors’ offices and given them out at festivals and health fairs.”

On the back of the information cards are tips for early detection and prevention of breast cancer.

“The directions for making these angels are also enclosed,” Julia wrote. “To finalize my Silver Award project I need to be able to gauge the success of the DVD and the enclosed materials. Would you please take a minute to fill out the survey and return to the address at the bottom of the page?”

Among the questions Julia asks are, “What age level to you feel comfortable showing this DVD?” “Did you find this DVD informative?” “Do you feel that I have achieved my goal in creating an educational DVD about breast cancer awareness for Girl Scouts?” “Does the enclosed information inspire your council/troops in taking on projects to help spread awareness?” and “If yes, what kind of projects would the girls be doing?”

The adviser for Julia’s project is Lucy Spears, the outreach coordinator of education for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Low Country Affiliate

And Brad Wofford, director of the Caughen Media Center at Francis Marion University, has assisted her in editing and producing the DVD information. Doug Fraser of Florence burned more than 200 copies of the DVD for Julia.

“In my DVD, I have challenged Girl Scouts all over the country to help spread awareness about breast cancer,” Julia said. “They can do this by making angels or doing some other project. So if you are traveling somewhere in the country and come across someone wearing a pink ribbon with a pink angel on it, remember that it originated here in Florence by Julia Lewis.”

Julia also notes that women who have no history of breast cancer are far from being home-free. She said it is imperative for them to have mammograms. She said all women should schedule annual mammograms when they hit 40.

Lewis is just about as proud of Julia as she can be.

“I’m her grandmother and I’m so proud of Julia,” she said. “To think she is doing something this big at this age is just mind-boggling.”

Julia is a member of Girl Scout Troop 402. The troop is led by Debbie Chapman and Lynn Marlowe.

Julia is an eighth-grader at Sneed Middle School in Florence. She has been a Girl Scout for nine years and worked on her Silver Award for 14 months.