October has been set aside as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; it is also the birth month of my eldest son.
Last year I wanted to do something that would honor Debra Beed (his mother) and Gretha Dean Lewis (my aunt) who lost their battle with breast cancer. To that end I proposed to dodant $1.00 to breast cancer research for each person who left a comment on my review blog during the month of October. This year On Assignment Publishing is increasing its donation to $2.00 per comment left here and on the reveiw site.
Please help us help others by stopping by, leaving a comment and encouraging others to do the same. Comments are not limited to discussion of breast cancer for there will other discussions during the month. The goal is to amass numbers for donating to this necessary research.
Linda!
Breast Cancer
Women get breast cancer when cells in the breast don't grow right and a tumor forms. Getting a mammogram (x-ray of the breast) can help find the cancer early. This gives a woman more treatment options and makes it more likely she will survive the cancer.
African American women are more likely than all other women to die from breast cancer. Tumors are found at a later, more advanced, stage so there are fewer treatment options. Some reasons for this may include not being able to get health care or not following-up after getting abnormal test results. Other reasons may include distrust of the health care system, the belief that mammograms are not needed, or not having insurance.
We do not know how to prevent breast cancer. But there are things you can do to reduce your risk, such as keeping a healthy weight and limiting how much alcohol you drink.
There are things you can do to find breast cancer early:
Get a mammogram. It is the best way to find out if you have breast cancer. A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. It can find breast cancer that is too small for you or your doctor to feel. All women starting at age 40 should get a mammogram every one to two years. Talk to your doctor about how often you need a mammogram. If your mother or sister had breast cancer, you may need to start getting mammograms earlier.
Women get breast cancer when cells in the breast don't grow right and a tumor forms. Getting a mammogram (x-ray of the breast) can help find the cancer early. This gives a woman more treatment options and makes it more likely she will survive the cancer.
African American women are more likely than all other women to die from breast cancer. Tumors are found at a later, more advanced, stage so there are fewer treatment options. Some reasons for this may include not being able to get health care or not following-up after getting abnormal test results. Other reasons may include distrust of the health care system, the belief that mammograms are not needed, or not having insurance.
We do not know how to prevent breast cancer. But there are things you can do to reduce your risk, such as keeping a healthy weight and limiting how much alcohol you drink.
There are things you can do to find breast cancer early:
Get a mammogram. It is the best way to find out if you have breast cancer. A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. It can find breast cancer that is too small for you or your doctor to feel. All women starting at age 40 should get a mammogram every one to two years. Talk to your doctor about how often you need a mammogram. If your mother or sister had breast cancer, you may need to start getting mammograms earlier.
A breast self-exam and a clinical breast exam are not substitutes for mammograms.
Get a clinical breast exam. This is a breast exam done by your doctor or nurse. She or he will check your breasts and underarms for any lumps, nipple discharge, or other changes. The breast exam should be part of a routine check up.
Get to know your breasts. You may do monthly breast self-exams to check for any changes in your breasts. If you find a change, see your doctor right away.
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2 comments:
Linda,
What a nice idea. As you know I lost my dear aunt last month to breast cancer. It was her second bout and it came back strong. A few years back I lost a co-worker to her second bout. Both of their deaths touched my soul and I miss them a lot.
I walked in my first race in 2006 and hope to walk in 2009 in their honors again.
I pledge $20.00 to your donation. Tell me where to send and I'll put it in the mail.
Love ya
Each year i have a beautiful mural done with pink tulips. I then surround the tulips with photos of women in the community that have succomb to breast cancer. The photo is then hung outside the church. A banquet is planned with a family person from each photo sharing a wonderful memory about that loved one.
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