FEBRUARY 2012 EDITORIAL: RED ON A ROLL

This is our February issue and we call this issue, RED ON A ROLL. The color red is the strongest color among the basic colors. It conjures different feelings and emotions. It can either mean love or war. It could either mean cupid or the devil. It means hot...It is flaming. It stimulates and sometimes seethes a person into anger. Red symbolizes excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, and aggression.

For this issue, we will talk all about red. Our front cover is Eva Ekvall a Venezuelan beauty queen that aroused the feelings of everyone in the pageant world in relation to her fight against the dreaded big “C” – that of breast cancer. Although October is supposed to be the Breast Cancer Month, we have included in our issue the topic on Breast Self-Examination in relation to our article about Eva. We have raised the RED ALARM S AND ALERTS against breast cancer in this article.

Our resident fashion reviewer will talk about ladies who competed in red gowns in their international beauty pageants and she has lots to say about them. Another contributor will talk about men in his article Brawn and Beauty and a lot more.

February is not just a heart month. It is a hot, fiery and exciting month. I hope we grabbed your attention and take you into action in our aim for excellence.

COVER STORY: EVA EKVALL

BEAUTY AND BEYOND
By Raphael Porciuncula

"One thing about my past . . . Well, definitely, I would not choose anything at all because I'm very happy the way I have lived my life up to now.  And because the person that I am now is what the past has done to me.  So, I would be completely different and I wouldn't be proud of who I am." - Eva Ekvall

The answer “I joined this pageant because I want to become a role model for everyone” has become a cliché but in truth, it strikes a blow of reality. Every pageant candidate has a story to tell. And every winner stands out and becomes the paragon of every budding young girl aspiring to be one.

This is the story of Eva Ekvall who at first showed hesitance in joining the Miss Venezuela 2000 pageant. She has felt that she was not meant for it although she has the height; she was a chubby girl at that time. But convinced further, Eva trained and worked hard on her physique until she achieved every Venezuelan girls’ dream, to become Miss Venezuela-Universe 2000.

Left: Eva representing the state of Apure. Right: Eva as Miss Venezuela Universe 2000.

Eva was an epitome of grace and beauty. Although she just clinched 3rd runner-up in the Miss Universe 2001 pageant where Denise Quinones was crowned, she was in everyone’s list. She performed so well. She was great. She has the body.   She  certainly  knows  how  to  navigate  the  stairs. She was a queen in her own right that night despite not getting the crown.

Top: Eva at the rightmost during the announcement of the Top 10 semi-finalists at Miss Universe 2001 pageant. Bottom: Eva at the 2nd from left during the swimsuit competition.

Top: Eva during the swimsuit and long gown competition at Miss Universe 2001 pageant. Bottom: Eva as one of the Top 5 finalists and eventually placed 3rd runner-up.

She later on became a newscaster and met her husband. She got married and had a child. After childbirth, she had her breast lumped examined and removed and it turned out to be breast cancer in the advance stage. She would later on undergo treatment and for two years she battled the big C and eventually succumbed at an early age of 28.

Eva became a role model of a lot of young women when she came out of a book showing her in her most unglamorous self. The book is entitled “Fuera de Foco” and it means “Out of Focus. It is a collection of pictures of Eva during her treatment. It is entitled as such because it is a very great departure from the life of glamour and glitz that Eva used to have. During her ordeal with cancer, she realized that Venezuela being a country that is so attached with the beauty culture should wake up to the reality that the body that is beautified can get sick too. And that the breast being a body  part  that  becomes  part  of  beauty  can  become ugly too because of cancer. As such when the book came out, galvanized a lot of concerns and it had increased awareness among the Venezuelan populace for breast cancer screening. (Please see related article about breast cancer screening)

Even when her death was known to the world, there is a continuous outpouring of grief and sympathy to this woman. From news magazines, blogs, TV news, forums, Facebook pages and the like, many extolled her bravery and courage to face the dreaded C. She did not sulk. She did put down her guards. She staunchly came out so that the public may know more of the disease and its consequences – that this disease does not select anyone; everyone is at risk.

I am reminded by the answer of Eva Ekvall in the finals of the Miss Universe 2001 Beauty Pageant when asked of the question: “If you have to change one thing about your past, what would it be?” And she answered:” Well, definitely, I would not choose anything at all because I’m very happy the way I have lived my life up to now. And because the person that I am now is what the past has done to me. So I would be completely different and I wouldn’t be proud of who I am.” Would she answer differently if she survived breast cancer and she would be asked again this question? I believe not so because, Eva as beauty queen lived up to being a role model. And even in her ordeal during her disease, she had lived up fully to the title. What more if she survived the disease?  She  will  forever be that beauty  that lived her life and took the lead against this dreaded disease.

RED ALARMS AND ALERTS AFTER SELF-EXAMINATION OF THE BREAST

By Jetset Alejandro

What is cancer? Cancer refers to any abnormal, unregulated growth of cells that can ultimately spread to different parts of the body. It can happen in any part of our body. In the case of Eva Ekvall, her cancer originated from the breast.

Cancer of the breast is the second most cause of cancer among women, cervical cancer being the first. It has been found out that the lifetime risk (to age 85) of a woman developing breast cancer in 1940 was 5% or 1 in 20. The  risk  now is 13.4% or almost one in 8.  In 2009, it was estimated that 192,370 new cases of breast cancer was diagnosed and 40,170 died of the disease. Women who undergo breast cancer screening programs have demonstrated significantly reduced deaths from the disease. However, the effectiveness of screening will depend on how often women are screened, compliance with screening recommendations and the quality of the screening.

There have been reports that the value in self-breast examination has been denigrated in the screening for breast cancer, however, it remains to be simplest method that would alert a woman that something is going wrong with her breast.

Here are simple guidelines for self-examination of the breast:

What should alert a woman upon doing self-examination of her breasts? The following should serve as the RED ALARM for breast cancer:

1. Lump that has not been evaluated

2. Change in the consistency and size of the breast lump

3. Red, swollen or flaky skin around the areola of the nipple

4. Nipple that is painful and becomes inverted

5. Any fluid that is leaking from the nipples if not breastfeeding

6. Skin dimpling

7. Lump or changes in skin under the armpit

The patient undergoing this self-examination should be more on RED ALERT if she had the any of the following risk factors such as genetic factors, having first degree relatives with breast cancer, early menarche, late pregnancy, nulliparity, delayed menopause, hormone replacement therapies and breast biopsies. Increasing age, race, obesity, radiation exposure and alcohol consumption have been found out to increase the risk of the disease. 

Breast Self-examination affords the women a sense of control over their health and they become more comfortable with their breasts.  It is a non-invasive procedure and it makes the women more aware of her breast changes. 

Sources of Information:  www.cancer.org

                                              www.healthatoz.com

                                              www.mayoclinic.com/health

                                              www.cancer.gov

                                              www.nccn.org