Friday, October 14, 2011

October~~Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!!

Yesterday I had some fun with BOOBS!! My goal was to get your minds set on a very important subject. A life threatening issue. BREAST CANCER!!

U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics:(There is a lot to read here. I suggest you read every word)

  • About 1 in 8 women in the United States (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.

  • In 2010, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 54,010 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

  • About 1,970 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2010. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.

  • From 1998 to 2007, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. decreased by about 2% per year. 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.

  • About 39,840 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2010 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1990. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.

  • For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.

  • Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers in women (about 28%) are breast cancer.

  • Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women.

  • In 2010, there were more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.

  • A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.

  • About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father.

  • About 70-80% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.

  • The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).


  • So what can YOU do to help!!!

    There are two simple things we all can do. First; make a donation to organizations that are fighting this disease. Believe me when I tell you that 'NO DONATION IS TO SMALL'. Every penny counts in this fight.

    The second thing is something I asked my girlfriend to do yesterday. As a matter of fact I am going to ask for it as a 'Christmas Present'.

    Tell all the females in your 'Lifes Circle' to get a 'Breast Exam' as a Christmas Gift to you. It is a gift that may well keep them at your side happy and healthy for many years to come.

    'Breast cancer is not just a disease that strikes at women. It strikes at the very heart of who we are as women: how others perceive us, how we perceive ourselves, how we live, work and raise our families-or whether we do these things at all.~~ Debbie Wasserman Schultz'

    I didn't know anything about breast cancer when I got it.~~Rue McClanahan(from The Golden Girls). 

    The world lost Rue McClanahan in 2010. Please do not let any woman you know ever have to make a statement like Rue did. Get them the information even if they will not do it themselves.

    Love ya,
    Randy

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