National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 207,090 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in 2010 and about 39,840 women will die from breast cancer.
Earlier detection, increased awareness, and improved treatment are keys to lowering those statistics.
Throughout the month of October, individuals are encouraged to be more aware of the issue of breast cancer as it affects their communities, their loved ones, and themselves and to take proactive steps (such as participating in a fundraiser or learning how to perform a self breast exam) to minimize the disease's impact now and in the future.
October is just one month, but awareness, action, and support are year-round endeavors. Check out some of the following organizations and events for more information.
- Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks serves the local community with educational, emotional, and financial support programs. Take a look at their calendar to see ways you can help locally.
- The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life fundraiser kicks off every May, inviting survivors, caregivers, and others affected by cancer to support research as they celebrate victories and remember loved ones.
- Breast Cancer Network of Strength provides emotional support to individuals affected by breast cancer. In addition to other programs, the nonprofit group funds YourShoes, a 24-hour, toll-free support hotline staffed by peer counsellors who are themselves breast cancer suriviors.
- CancerCare offers free professional counselling as well as educational, financial, and practical support programs for cancer patients, their loved ones, and healthcare professionals.
- Nancy Brinker founded the grassroots organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1982, following the death of her sister, Susan, from breast cancer. Komen for the Cure is a networking hub for survivors, an information and advocacy resource for patients, and currently the world's largest source of nonprofit funds (nearly $1.5 billion invested to date) dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.
You can view an interview with Nancy Brinker and read an exerpt from her new book, Promise Me, about her sister and her sister's legacy on this Good Morning America segment. Or you can find the whole book and other resources on breast cancer at the Library.
Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer by Nancy Brinker
Navigating Breast Cancer: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Lillie D. Shockney
Living Well Beyond Breast Cancer: A Survivor's Guide for When Treatment Ends and the Rest of Your Life Begins by Marissa C. Weiss and Ellen Weiss
Eating Pomegranates: A Memoir of Mothers, Daughters, and the BRCA Gene by Sarah Gabriel
The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery by Rebecca Katz and Matt Edelson
Find this article at http://thelibrary.org/blogs/article.cfm?aid=1085&lid=48