Shouting Out Pink!
- Aishi Biswal
- Oct 11, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 27, 2023
This October, celebrate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the EmpowerHer Project and countless other women across the nation by repping your pink ribbons and donating to various organizations that fund breast cancer treatments, mammogram screenings, breast cancer research, and work to educate women around the world about breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world, but it is also one of the most curable cancers in the world when diagnosed early.
To diagnose breast cancer early, one should be aware of the potential risk factors they face. Some notable risk factors for breast cancer include a woman’s age, race, and family history. The National Breast Cancer Organization states, “Two out of three women with invasive cancer are diagnosed after age 55”, and breast cancer is diagnosed most often in Caucasian women. Although age and race are risk factors that one has no control over, controllable factors proven to increase one’s risk of developing breast cancer include drinking alcohol, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and obesity.
Whether you fall into any of these risk factors or not, regularly checking for signs and symptoms of breast cancer is important. One easy way to do this is by performing monthly self-breast exams. Lillie D. Shockney, Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer states, “Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.” Breast exams should be performed in the shower, in front of a mirror, or lying down. To perform a breast exam, analyze both breasts and nipples for abnormal lumps, skin texture, dimpling, and abnormalities in size or shape. For more information on monthly self-breast exams, please reference The National Breast Cancer Organization.
For more information on how you can support us and other organizations during breast cancer awareness month, please visit the references below and consider donating to these organizations to help women in need combat this disease.
Breast cancer information, support & donations. National Breast Cancer Foundation. (2023, January 31). https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/. Accessed Oct. 1, 2023.
Breastcancer.org - breast cancer information and support. Breastcancer.org - Breast Cancer Information and Support. (n.d.). https://www.breastcancer.org/. Accessed Oct. 1, 2023.
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