In case you couldn’t tell by the plethora of pink products from blenders to nail polish available in a store near you, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is in full affect. This year alone, there will be nearly 27,000 estimated new cases of breast cancer in Black women, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society.
Even though White women are more likely to get breast cancer than Black women, we are most likely to die of breast cancer, at least partly because of faster growing tumors. African Americans as a whole also have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the United States for most cancers.
Before 2006, “cancer” was just another word to me. Something that happened to other people…not people in my family. But that all changed five years ago, when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Cancer. It’s such an ugly word. When I first heard it, I immediately thought it was a death sentence. But I quickly learned that’s not always the case. Fortunately, the doctors were able to detect the cancer during stage zero, my mother had a mastectomy and now she’s cancer-free.
But her situation was a wake-up call for me. No one is safe and cancer can happen to anyone…your mom, your aunt, your sister, even you. Ladies, it’s crucial that you schedule your yearly mammogram and perform monthly breast self-exams.
While it’s true family history, age and ethnicity play huge roles in determining if you’re at risk for developing breast cancer, there are other factors that are within your control. Smoking cigarettes and heavy drinking can increase your chances of getting breast cancer, whereas a healthy diet and regular exercise can decrease those chances. For more information, please visit the American Cancer Society at cancer.org. It’s not too late to start making some healthy changes to your lifestyle and reduce your risk.
Cancer doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Early detection can literally save your life. My mom is proof. This month, as we’ve done for the last five years, my family and I will participate in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. We’re celebrating my mom and other survivors like her and honoring those who lost their lives to the disease. They may have lost the battle, but we will win the war against cancer.
L’Oreal Thompson is the assistant editor for Chesapeake Home + Living magazine, a staff writer for Harford and Howard magazines and a TV blogger for bthesite.com. She is addicted to cupcakes, shoes and all things purple. Follow her on Twitter @LOrealKT.
Save Your Ta-Tas: Know the Facts About Breast Cancer is a post from: Heart & Soul
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