Breast Cancer isn't fashionable, it isn't even in season but it is a part of our every day lives - like the handbag we carry, the shoes we wear on our feet. It's one of those things we don't want to talk about, don't want to think about yet it affects our lives either directly or indirectly.
I have been affected by cancer as my dad's father died from it, my dad died from it and my mother is a survivor. My son's father's grandmother died of recurring breast cancer that moved into her stomach. One of my dear friends (an ex-boyfriend) mother died of recurring breast cancer. Hell, I have a few online internet friends with whom I've gotten to know over the last 7 plus years from eBay that have been struck with breast cancer and are now in remission and/or going through treatments.
Did you know that this year over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer? It is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States and most women do not know they have it until they feel a lump. Did you know that the average size lump found is the size of a silver dollar? How big is that? That is approximately 1.043 inches wide!
Did you know that approximately 5% of breast cancer victims are under 40?
Did you know that roughly 1,700 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone?
Breast cancer has no target audience. It doesn't care if you're young or old, male or female. It doesn't care if you're single or married; or a single mother raising kids. It doesn't care if you're rich or poor. It does not care about anything but spreading it's vicious ugly cycle. But I care and you should too.
I am doing the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure on October 9, 2010. I will be there whether running or walking.
In case you wanted a "fashionable" twist ... here is a run down of some famous women who have survived breast cancer:
Christina Applegate - age 36
"Sometimes, you know, I cry," she told "Good Morning America." "And sometimes I scream. And I get really angry. And I get really upset, you, into wallowing in self-pity sometimes. And I think that's all part of the healing."Dame Maggie Smith - age 73
When the 73-year-old actress Maggie Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, it was reported that she insisted on filming her sixth appearance as Professor McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" even while undergoing radiation therapy. Betsey Johnson
After her diagnosis in 2002, designer Betsey Johnson tried to deal with the realities of the disease matter-of-factly, instead of obsessively. "I'm not the type of person who dwells too much on bad things," Johnson told USA Today. "I guess the only thing I've done differently is loosened up the reigns on my company and now I'm enjoying life more."Cynthia Nixon
"(T)he only thing to really be afraid of is if you don't go get your mammograms, because there's some part of you that doesn't want to know, and that's the thing that's going to trip you up," the actress, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2002, told "Good Morning America." "That's the thing that could have a really bad endgame."
Kylie Minogue
Doctors initially misdiagnosed the breast cancer of Kylie Minogue, the Australian pop singer has said. Her condition was finally correctly identified in 2005. She had surgery to remove the lump, followed by chemotherapy. The 40-year-old singer is currently in remission and is preparing for her first U.S. tour for the fall of 2009. "It's amazing how many people are affected by cancer and it's definitely something that stays with you and you have a lot to think about and your life changes," she told the Associated Press. "I feel very fortunate."Edie Falco
Actress Edie Falco found the best way to handle her battle with breast cancer was to play it close to the chest -- she even kept her 2003 diagnosis a secret from her "Sopranos" castmates. "I kept my diagnosis under the radar, even from the cast and crew, because well-meaning people would have driven me crazy asking, 'How are you feeling?'" Falco told Health magazine. "I would have wanted to say, 'I'm scared, I don't feel so good, and my hair is falling out!' "I bucked up, put on my Carmela fingernails, and was ready to work."
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