Today is September 30th.....the last day of the month. Tomorrow October starts and overnight, just like that, everything for the next 31 days turns pink. Why? Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. A month that I knew I'd always support, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would really have anything to do with firsthand.... especially at 37 years old. But then, who really ever does?? Then one day, almost 2 years ago, that all changed and now I stand here before you, or sit here before you typing, as a recent stage 3 breast cancer survivor, fighter, warrior, and thriver, and will be for the rest of my life. And tomorrow, as the world goes pink to celebrate all the survivors, to honor those who are no longer with us, to bring strength, hope and positivity to those who continue to fight, and to bring awareness to getting checked and to finding a cure to this awful disease, there are many survivors out there who want to bring attention to the fact that a Breast Cancer survivor might not look forward to everything going pink. Because as a survivor or fighter, October can mean many different things to many different people. To some, breast cancer is all pink and they look forward to representing their warrior-selves in the many different walks and races that occur this month. To some, in many cases, breast cancer is not pink at all.
Breast Cancer Awareness month, to some, is just that. Awareness. Awareness that breast cancer can happen to anyone at anytime, as breast cancer doesn't discriminate at all. For me, a recent breast cancer survivor, I sport my breast cancer gear proudly to celebrate the monster that I won against, to help support all the amazing organizations that were there to help me during some of my darkest times, will still continue to help me as I move forward, and will be there to help countless others. I sport my gear to bring attention to the sad fact that mammograms are not always readily available or affordable without insurance, especially in lower income areas. I sport my gear to support and encourage others who are still fighting that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I sport my gear, wear pink and join races to celebrate myself and my other survivor and warrior friends and to help raise money for the many organizations that I love so much.
For some breast cancer warriors, fighters, and survivors October isn't bright, cheery and as pink as the world may think. For some, October is a constant reminder, with triggers everywhere, of the toughest battle of our lives. It's a reminder of those lives we have lost, and it's a reminder of what we may have lost personally. For some, our bodies have been completely morphed. Our hair fell out, our eyebrows and eyelashes went away, and we have been operated on numerous times. We have had body parts reshaped, or like me they've been removed. And for some, tissue, muscles and skin have been altered and moved, and like me again, organs have even been removed to help prevent recurrence. And for some, like me again as well, we now have lifelong ailments to contend with. And as a result of everything that we've been through and still are continuing to go through, our lives have completely changed. Some of us are lucky enough to say we have beaten this ugly disease. Others, can't say that right now or at all. There are our stage 4 friends or our metavivors who might never know what being considered disease free is like. But by having breast cancer, we all have a few things in common.... we all know what breast cancer really looks like, what it feels like, and we all get scared that it will come back again, or in some cases, never really leave. The thought is there everyday. Every ache, every pain, anytime something in our body feels "off", our minds go there. Over time, the amount of time spent thinking about it decreases, but the thought is always there.... what if this is it again...
So, here are some scary statistics straight from www.breastcancer.org itself:
***** About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the
course of her lifetime.
In 2020, an estimated 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 48,530 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
About 2,620 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2020. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 883.
About 42,170 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2020 from breast cancer. Death rates have been steady in women under 50 since 2007, but have continued to drop in women over 50. The overall death rate from breast cancer decreased by 1.3% per year from 2013 to 2017. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances and earlier detection through screening.
For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
As of January 2020, there are more than 3.5 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.
Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. In 2020, it's estimated that about 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers.
In women under 45, breast cancer is more common in Black women than white women. Overall, Black women are more likely to die of breast cancer. For Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women, the risk of developing and dying from breast cancer is lower. Ashkenazi Jewish women have a higher risk of breast cancer because of a higher rate of BRCA mutations.
Breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. began decreasing in the year 2000, after increasing for the previous two decades. They dropped by 7% from 2002 to 2003 alone. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk. In recent years, incidence rates have increased slightly by 0.3% per year.
A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Less than 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.
About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
There are more, but these are the ones I chose to highlight. If you want to learn more, this website is definitely a great resource.
So what can you do? Get your mammograms, do self exams, and encourage those around you to do the same. Early detection is key, I found my two tumors myself, not from a mammogram. And, if you can, support organizations that help people like me.
There are so many organizations out there that were formed to support and help breast cancer patients. From information, to emotional support, to financial assistance, here are just a few the links to some of my favs.... check them out and then in honor of someone you know or love, maybe you'll want to help too......
So, as the world turns pink tomorrow, I urge you to think about what going pink really means to you. Does it bring awareness to check yourself more often? Does it make you aware of how often breast cancer happens? Does it remind you that breast cancer can happen to anyone? Does it bring awareness to all the people who have fought and continue to fight for their lives? I hope it does. And then I hope that it also encourages you to not only wear pink, if you choose to do so, but to do something to help raise awareness so maybe one day no one else will have to join our club.
As always, stay safe everyone.
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