Created: 7/24/2009 11:43:02 PM 
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Today we had some visitors from Syria who are interested in learning more about how we advocate for breast cancer research and care here in Jacksonville.
The group is from the Breast Cancer Association of Syria. They are guests of the State Department and they are touring the country trying to learn how best to improve breast cancer advocacy in their country.
They wanted to hear about the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer and the Donna Foundation's work for the underserved. Their hope is to build more grass roots support for such things in Syria.
In Syria, they say, women just don't talk about breast cancer.
"Women in our country suffer greatly from cancer, but they have a lot of fear. They hide it. They need information," says Nada Fannaty.
Fannaty is a breast cancer survivor and wants to help other women feel more comfortable about discussing the disease.
Syrian oncologists say 95 percent of women in Syria who are diagnosed with breast cancer don't find it until the late or end stages of the disease. Most are not diagnosed at all because they don't often get checked.
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