Korean American Cancer Project in Maryland

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Korean Health Educational Materials 

Breast Cancer Photonovel

A Woman's Health is Family's Happiness, which carries the subtitle, "Breast Cancer Screening," opens with Yoojin sitting in front of a mirror and looking at her breasts, a reaction to her feeling sympathy for a church member who has died of breast cancer.

Later that afternoon, she comes across a high school classmate, Hyosun, at a Korean grocery and they go together to a restaurant to catch up on old times. Hyosun begins to talk about her own experience with breast cancer and the importance of regular check ups; she urges Yoojin to have one. That evening, Yoojin starts to wonder whether she should get screened for breast cancer and she talks with her husband about it. With his encouragement, she makes an appointment and goes to the clinic with Hyosun.  

The clinic physician explains the three components of the screening program: instruction in breast self-examination, the clinical breast exam, and the mammogram. The nurse teaches Yoojin how to perform a breast self-exam and takes her to the radiology technologist who will give her a mammogram. After the mammogram, Yoojin feels a sense of peace and, one week later, is pleased to learn that her mammogram is OK.

On the book's first page is a fact sheet of breast-cancer statistics, and throughout the novel are lists of breast cancer risk factors and symptoms, instructions on how to perform a self-exam, recommended guidelines, early detection programs, and sources for help. On the book's last page is a list of frequently asked questions and answers.

Cervical Cancer Photonovel 

A Woman's Health is Family's Happiness, subtitled "Cervical Cancer Screening," opens with Youngsook getting a phone call from her classmate, Sunmi, who lives in Korea. Youngsook hears the terrible news that her best friend, Hyunkyung, has recently died of cervical cancer. Youngsook tells her husband about her best friend’s death, and begins to worry about whether she should get a Pap smear herself.

A few days later, Youngsook's husband reads in the newspaper about a free cancer-screening program and encourages her to make an appointment. Youngsook calls up a Korean outreach worker and goes to the clinic. The doctor explains about the Pap smear and pelvic exam and then gives Youngsook an examination. One week later, Youngsook receives a postcard from the clinic telling her that her results were normal. The last page of the story is an illustration showing a gathering of family members at Youngsook's birthday party, all wishing her health and happiness.

On the book's first page is a fact sheet of cervical cancer statistics; elsewhere in the book are a list of cervical cancer-related risk factors and symptoms, recommended guidelines, early detection programs, sources for help, and frequently asked questions and answers.       

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