Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Guest speakers Dr. Rashid Abdu, and Dr. Nicole M. Reyes chat before the start of the 30th annual Pink Ribbon Tea on Monday morning at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield. Abdu’s late wife, Joanie, was a nurse for 20 years at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital before she died of breast cancer in 1994. He founded the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital in her honor.

CANFIELD — If the longevity of an annual event honoring breast cancer survivors could be structurally analyzed to determine the cause of its vibrancy and strength, it likely would be resilience, courage, hope and faith acting as the anchors and pillars supporting its foundation.

“Joanie considers every one of you as her sisters,” Dr. Rashid Abdu, a retired general surgeon at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, told an audience of several hundred Monday.

Abdu, who came to the U.S. in 1948 from his native Yemen to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, was referring to his late wife, Joanie Abdu, who was a nurse for more than 20 years at the hospital before she lost her battle with breast cancer in 1994. After his wife’s death, Abdu was determined to fulfill a promise to her that no woman in the Mahoning Valley would lose her life to the disease — hence, the debut in 2011 of the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

The facility provides specialized breast, early diagnostic and cancer care, as well as support services, regardless of patients’ ability to pay, their income or any other potential barriers.

“Whether she’s a prince or a pauper, she gets the same treatment here in Youngstown, Ohio,” Abdu said, adding, “No woman should ever die from breast cancer because she’s poor.”

Abdu was one of the main speakers for Monday afternoon’s 30th annual Pink Ribbon Tea for Breast Cancer Survivors luncheon and program at Waypoint 4180, 4180 Westford Place.

Also delivering a keynote address was Dr. Nicole M. Reyes, a surgical oncologist at the center.

Gina Marinelli, a longtime reporter for WKBN-TV 27 and WYTV-Channel 33, acted as mistress of ceremonies.

The Junior League of the Mahoning Valley presented the gathering free to survivors in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, with the overarching goal of uniting, reconnecting, celebrating and introducing them to one another.

Nearly 500 people, at least 450 of whom are breast cancer survivors — including a few men — attended the program, Amy Banks, event chairwoman, said.

“They come as strangers and leave as friends, and are a support system for one another,” she added.

Before the breast care center was established 13 years ago, the Valley had among the nation’s highest mortality rates from the disease. Compounding the problem was that many women had to travel to different parts of the region, or out of town, between diagnosis and treatment, Abdu recalled.

Today, however, “you can get everything on one floor,” he said.

Also making life easier for those with the disease is the Mercy Health Mobile Mammography van that offers the same services, including screenings, as the center, along with 3D mammography imaging. The vehicle has reached some women who had never undergone an exam — partly because of a lack of trust on their part — and is part of the effort to increase early detection, Abdu said.

Also, the breast care facility passed its latest inspection about a year ago, with no citations, he said. In addition, 10 surgeons from Russia recently visited the center to take back various ideas to their country, Abdu continued.

In her remarks, Reyes noted that immunization therapies, mammograms and advanced technology are among the improvements that have saved many lives and vastly improved outcomes — largely because of the enhanced ability to catch breast cancer in its earliest stages.

Those who have completed treatment from the disease have not reached the end of their journeys; they also need continued emotional, mental and spiritual support, as well as new possibilities so they can “show the world what true courage looks like,” Reyes said.

Sister Darla Vogelsang, the Ursuline Motherhouse’s prayer leader and liturgist, recalled a family member who battled breast cancer in the 1960s, with little treatment, yet she relied heavily on her faith. That path, combined with resiliency, also can make it easier for those with the disease to bounce back, Vogelsang told her audience.

When the tea event began three decades ago at Avalon Golf & Country Club in Howland, 50 women attended. That number has increased nearly tenfold today largely because of advances in treatment and diagnosis, and an increased emphasis on early detection and prevention, Susan Bernie, Pink Ribbon Tea founder, said.

In addition to being an occasion to honor survivors, Monday’s gathering was “a day of celebration and strength,” Bernie said.

Also at the luncheon was Joyce Kohler, who runs Livestrong, a 12-week exercise program that acts as a support group for those who have undergone treatment for the disease.

Many people who have had chemotherapy and radiation become physically weaker. The program, offered twice yearly at the YMCA of Youngstown and the Davis Family YMCA in Boardman, provides cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, balance and flexibility exercises and group support, she noted.

The next class is to get underway in February, though Kohler was unable to provide a start date. To register, call Melissa Klim at 330-480-5656, ext. 271, or email her at mklim@youngstownymca.org.

Abdu noted that the breast care center named in honor of his late wife also has three mammography screening sites — one each in Boardman, Poland and Columbiana. She would want all breast cancer survivors to lead long, healthy and fulfilling lives, he added.