By Vivian Shipe
KNOXVILLE, TN — The Women of Wisdom, (W.O.W.) an organization dedicated to helping African American breast cancer survivors held their annual Christmas dinner at the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute and learned first hand the extreme importance of physical activity not only for themselves as cancer survivors, but the importance to the African American community as a whole.
Introduced by cancer survivor and retired educator, Dr. Donna Hardy, the presentor for the evening was Dr. Lyndsey Hornbuckle, Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies.
Dr. Hornbuckle gave an overview of a study done over the pandemic years on engaging the black cancer community. Included in the presentation were alarming bodies of knowledge about the high percentage of African Americans (53 percent) especially Black men, who are not meeting the guidelines for aerobic and muscle strengthing physical activity.
Making her point about movement not being optional, she pointed to studies showing that exercise and physical activity can improve health and possibly prevent diseases such as certain cancers, stress, stroke, BP, and brain deterioration.
Along with the recommendations for cancer survivors, the minimum guidelines for non cancer individuals were presented as the data revealed that people know they need to exercise, yet they still don’t do it.
Following the presentation, under the direction of co-leaders Carmen Jones and Dr. Hardy, the ladies of W.OW. were presented Comfort Baskets from I AM The Voice of the Voiceless, ETHRA, OSSOLI Circle, and Kim Houston, the designer who put all the baskets together. All together, over 50 baskets have been given to African American breast cancer survivors in the last few months.
The women of W.O.W. are all in different stages of healing. Two are just starting their chemotherapy and others have finished their treatments while others were there in support who have been surviving for decades.