For several years, I was a big time supporter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation—when October rolls around, it is hard to avoid the color PINK as it spreads across the continent. And, I’m a girl who likes her pink—and like nearly everybody, has a personal connection to breast cancer: my grandmother—who died from metastasized bone cancer in 2007.  Her initial diagnosis at least 10 years prior, and the cancer she and her doctors successfully put into remission for the second time in 2005, however? Breast cancer.
I have been lucky to be a part of the volunteer team for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s CIBC Run for the Cure for several years in a row, and to see the impact the CBCF makes in the lives and perceptions of people living with breast cancer. I participated in the race to add another year of involvement.  I then chose to move my personal advocacy efforts elsewhere—not because I don’t believe in the value of my efforts, but because for me, there are other less-discussed causes that I personally feel I can have a bigger impact within.

I was lucky to attend the CBCF Youth Conference on breast cancer several years ago. I learned two big things there:

• Younger women are more likely to die from the disease: In a moving presentation from her parents, Shanna Larsen’s family shared her story. Though she began experiencing symptoms at 23, Shan died at 24—only four months after her cancer diagnosis. Her family and friends, known as Team Shan, work to advocate that breast cancer is “not just a disease of older women” encouraging young women to know their bodies, perform self-exams and speak up if something doesn’t seem right.
• Breast cancer is non-discriminatory: in 2013, it is projected that 200 men will have been diagnosed with breast cancer: while the survival rate with detection and treatment is excellent, breast cancer is under-diagnosed in men and is likely to be treated differently than in women: each year, 60 men will men die from breast cancer—the cure rate differs between men and women by 8%, 88% in women, and 80% in men due to men’s diagnoses frequently being later than women’s’ contributing to more advanced disease status (CBCF, 2013).

What are you doing for breast cancer awareness month? What’s your personal connection?

To learn more about breast cancer, visit some of my favorite organizations below—these groups can give you a better look at the realities of breast cancer from a variety of perspectives . . . and help you join the fight against this disease.
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Team Shan: Breast Cancer Awareness for Young Women
Save the Ta Tas
National Breast Cancer Foundation

Download Free Awareness Ribbon