Coming to a Full Circle - Mother-Daughter - Breast Cancer - A Family Affair!

Special Guest: Desiree Jacobsen, MSMC, a recent graduate from Texas Christian University Topic: Coming to a Full Circle – Mother-Daughter – Breast Cancer – A Family Affair In 2007, approximately 40,460 women were expected to die from breast cancer. Only lung cancer accounts for more deaths in women. Guided by the above astonishing fact, Desiree Jacobsen concentrated her thesis research study on African American women and their breast health communication. In African American women, breast cancer is the second most common cancer death preceded by lung cancer. Previous researchers studied traditional media outlets to disseminate ideal breast health messages to African American women; however, interpersonal communication has proven more effective than traditional media outlets. With this in mind, Desiree discovered a health communication model that focuses on interpersonal communication. Throughout the study African American women introduced Desiree to a unique interpersonal communication network. One component of the network included the relationship between mothers and daughters within their respective generation groups. The relationship took on a generational role reversal in which the younger generation takes responsibility for the older generation in terms of health care. In chapter eight of my book From My Mama’s Kitchen –“food for the soul, recipes for living,” I wrote about – Coming to a Full Circle, where we as children will eventually become our parents’ parent. For some of us this paradigm shift will be gradual, but for some of us it may be quite sudden. It is how we approach and manage this shift that will result in a successful child-parents/parent-parents relationship synergy. Desiree will be joined by PhD candidate, Jessica Sullivan, who can speak first-hand on the generational role reversal among African American females. Please call 347.327.9995 to join Desiree, Jessica, and me live on the air!