Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at Young Hair, 1928 E. High St., or by calling (937) 324-4301.
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Hicks-Graham, who says that although “at least 20 to 25 percent of my practice is aimed at preventing skin cancer …. a lot of people of color don’t believe it’s possible for them to get (it). That’s an absolute fallacy.”
“In many cases, diseases like melanoma are found at a later stage” in African-Americans, said the board-certified physician. As a result, people of color who are diagnosed are three times more likely to die of melanoma than fairer-skinned people because their cancers have metastasized.
Even more encouraging, referrals by the growing number of trichologists have led to earlier, more effective treatments of other skin maladies. Alopecia, hair loss from “years and years of tight hair styles or hereditary factors, and chronic rashes and dermatitis, can be managed and treated (more effectively) at an earlier stage,” Hicks-Graham said.
Although Patty Young, the principal force behind the founding of Sisters United, is not a certified trichologist, she did attend a class Hicks-Graham offered in Columbus to extend knowledge gained during the years Young has spent helping women with hair loss from cancer treatment and other challenges.
Young herself referred a patient to Hicks-Graham, one whose early symptoms included hair loss and scalp soreness Young learned was a form of bone cancer and whose symptoms she had seen on a client before.
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It was only after Young invited Hicks-Graham to speak that she discovered she’d met another member of the doctor’s family 14 years ago when Hicks-Graham’s father, oncologist Dr. William Hicks, spoke at the first Sisters United event.
“When we were forming, he was on the radio talking about cancer and minorities,” Young said. “That was perfect for us.”
During her visit to Springfield, Hicks-Graham plans to encourage to take her audience a step beyond prevention and early detection. “I really want to encourage them to consider self-care as a ritual. That’s a critical piece people sometimes miss.”
The rituals she suggests have the down-to-earth qualities of simple good habits: Eat breakfast every day, drink water more regularly and take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Somewhat more challenging, she said, is her recommendation to move toward a more healthful attitude. “Some people have to work really hard at that,” said Hicks-Graham, “like when it’s the middle of April and it’s still snowing.” But attitudinal changes “can help to reduce inflammation and stress,” which can produce significant health benefits because those factors make us more vulnerable to disease.
Her more plain-spoken appeal is this: “I would just encourage women to prioritize their own need for health and well-being and not feel guilty for doing that. A lot of women who are primary care givers put everyone in front of them. I try to remind them that to be good to your family, you have to be good to yourself.”
Women’s fashions for the style show will be provided by Gill Mart of Trotwood, men’s by Gregory’s Tuxedo Rental of Kettering.
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