In case you're wondering why you've been drowning in a sea of pink this past month, it's because October was breast cancer awareness month. Pink yogurt lids, pink potato chip bags, pink, pink, pink. I was aware of breast cancer. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both survivors. One of my best friends was diagnosed two weeks ago, and thanks to early detection things should turn out fine.
What I didn't know is how many twenty-somethings are at risk. This past weekend my friend Suzi was in Dallas for the 3-Day breast cancer walk. She did it in support of a friend who lost her mother to breast cancer this past July. She was shocked at the number of twenty-something girls who have died from breast cancer. It is not an older woman's disease.
In their infinite wisdom, most insurance companies do not pay for a baseline mammogram until thirty-five or even forty. Therefore many young women go undiagnosed until it is too late. So if you are a twenty-something or you love a twenty-something or if you even just kind of like a twenty-something, tell them self-breast exams are the number one way to detect breast cancer. Free or reduced cost mammograms are also becoming more and more available to women around the country. Take advantage, because early detection leads to early treatment, which leads to a higher survival rate.
0 komentar:
Post a Comment