National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Take it Seriously

I mentioned previously that we will sometimes go off topic and today’s All Things Women post is off topic.  October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of early breast cancer detection.  Unless you live in a cave you are already aware of this and have participated in or are planning to participate in some type of activity supporting this cause.  Thank you.

I wanted to take just a moment of your time to provide a brief glimpse into the family impact resulting from breast cancer.  I do this in memory of my mother and in honor of my wife. 

My wife Rita was diagnosed with breast cancer when our daughter was very

young.  We did all that we could to keep her shielded yet informed of what was happening to her mom.  We thought she was too young to fully understand what was truly taking place.  As we told the kids what was to come our daughter immediately asked “Mommy, since you have the cancer will I get it too?”  What a shock those words were to us.  We will never forget the destroyed expression on her little face.  We had no idea all the information that she had absorbed.  We also were not prepared to answer a question that is “yes.”  Over the next several days and weeks my wife worked out how to best tell our daughter about cancer, what it is, how it grows and how a person comes to have cancer. And that yes, she has a greater possibility of having this disease as a result of her family history.  To this day, as a result of those conversations my wife and daughter share an uncommonly close communication about nearly everything but especially health issues.

Take the time to educate yourself about your own breast health and how to help and serve others who are working through it.  The following are several resources you can reach out to for more information:

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month:          www.nbcam.org

Susan G. Komen for the Cure:                               www.komen.org

West Michigan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen:        www.komenwestmichigan.org

Gilda’s Club:                                                          www.gildasclub.org

American Cancer Society:                                      www.cancer.org

Breast Cancer Support and Community:                www.breastcancer.org

The Breast Cancer Resource Center:                     www.bcrc.org

National cancer Institute:                                      www.cancer.gov

Breast Cancer Support:                                          www.bcsupport.org