Who’s Your One?- Susan G. Komen

Thank you to Susan G. Komen for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.

Breast cancer hits close to home for so many, and those who have been personally impacted by breast cancer themselves or through a loved one know how excruciating the experience is.

I have written about breast cancer every October because my country club does a Pink Ribbon Golf event to support  Susan G Komen.

But we should be thinking about breast cancer every month for the loved ones who have breast cancer and our loved ones we want to protect from ever having breast cancer.

My sister in law, Sandra Wakefield is now living with metastatic breast cancer and every year on Mother’s day in Minneapolis she participates in the Race for the Cure with my brother Todd and their family.

Sandra is living every day with positivity and grace as she now lives with her new normal.

But wouldn’t it be a blessing if we could live in a world without breast cancer?

Creating “a world without breast cancer” may sound too good to be true, but Susan G. Komen is making strides toward this reality every day. Since its founding in 1982, Susan G. Komen has been on the frontlines of the fight against breast cancer and has been making bold, rigorous and fearless efforts to save lives. Susan G. Komen, in fact, is the only breast cancer non-profit organization with such a comprehensive approach that includes:

-Conducting breakthrough research to understand, prevent, and treat breast cancers

-Performing critical community outreach, which includes:

*Improving access to care for low-income and uninsured women by conducting breakthrough research to understand, prevent, and treat breast cancer

*Providing free or low-cost screenings and diagnostic services

*Funding to offset the cost of life-saving breast cancer treatments to those who can’t afford it, or funding to provide free transportation and child care for those needing help going through treatment

*Offering guidance to the newly diagnosed or long-term breast cancer patients needing resources and information as they navigate important decisions

-Advocating for public policy to fund lifesaving research and provide patient support

-Focusing on patient care to ensure that all people have access to quality screening, diagnosis, and treatment

Top Line Facts:

a. Women in the United States have a 1 in 8-lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

b. African-American women are more than 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

c. In communities across the United States, African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed younger, at a later stage and with more aggressive forms of the disease, limiting treatment options.

d. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Asian-American and Hispanic women in the United States.

e. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women in the United States. (2nd leading for Asian-American women).

f. Breast cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death among all women in the United States, second only to lung cancer.

g. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women 20-59 in the United States.

I want to share my gratitude toward breast cancer advocates who work so hard to make a positive impact on the breast cancer cause. I also want to share my gratitude for organizations like Susan G. Komen and the ways in which they are fighting breast cancer:

a. Advocacy: The organization ensures the voice of everyone who has been touched by breast cancer is heard among policymakers in order to fund lifesaving research and provide critical patient support.

b. Research: The organization works to understand, prevent and treat particularly the most aggressive and deadly breast cancers so that patients can live better lives, longer.

c. Education: The organization provides fact-based information to empower people to make informed decisions about their breast health.

d. Treatment Assistance: The organization ensures that all people have access to quality screening, diagnosis, and treatment for breast cancer. Komen offers a breast care helpline for those looking for answers to tough questions and advice from experts. The # is 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636). That same helpline also offers a clinical trial information line for those looking for updates on the latest clinical trials, answers to questions about trials, how they can get involved or find which trials may be right for them.

e. Support: The organization creates a community that unites and supports everyone affected by breast cancer.

My daughters are so precious to me and I pray that they never have to experience living with breast cancer. I pray that no one has to live with breast cancer and we need to put our money into research, education, advocacy, and treatment support.

As I was researching breast cancer and the occurrence in Down Syndrome women it seems my daughter Sammy has a very low percentage of developing breast cancer in her life.

The data is really astonishing when you look at it, said Dr. Brian Skotko, the co-director of the Down syndrome program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Overall there’s 96 percent fewer cases of breast cancer occurring in people with Down syndrome than the typical population. In the meantime, some researchers suggest women with Down syndrome can even skip routine screenings like mammograms.-WCVB5

I have had benign tumors in both my breasts and I hope my daughter Lisa never ever has to deal with breast cancer in her lifetime.

I’m grateful for the breast cancer advocates who are working on the frontlines to fight breast cancer and protect my loved ones from the disease!

Please visit the Susan G. Komen website to learn more about breast cancer advocates who are making a difference in the community.