By: Kaitlin O’Meara, Assistant Copy Editor
As October draws to a close, it’s important to remember that not only is it almost Halloween, but that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Started in October 1985, the month was designed as a way to encourage women to test for breast cancer early and provide a space for survivors to tell their stories.
When it comes to screening for breast cancer, it is best to do it early and do it often. The CDC recommends mammograms every two years for women over 40 years old at average risk for breast cancer, but there are other ways for women, especially young women, to keep themselves safe. Just 1.5 miles up Main Street, there is the Breast Cancer Screening Facility of WNY offering yearly screenings, mammograms, bone densitometry, breast ultrasounds and cardiac exams, among other services.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. recommends doing self-examinations monthly for women over 18. Regular breast exams in this capacity allow one to be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel, which also helps one to be aware when something is not right. According to their website, there are three parts of a breast self-exam: in the shower, in the mirror and lying down. All three parts include using light, medium and firm pressure to check for any new or developing lumps or additional changes, and it is very important to make sure to examine both breasts. Although self-examination is important, mammograms are a crucial part of the screening process and it is the combination of both elements that help determine if one is breast cancer-free.
There is currently no fully effective breast cancer screening tool for women under 40, which means that many young women are not diagnosed until later stages, according to the Young Survival Coalition. Although it occurs less often with younger women, it has been found recently that young women often face much more aggressive cancers with lower survival rates. According to the Youth Survival Coalition, nearly 80% of young women diagnosed with breast cancer find the abnormalities themselves, which highlights the importance of being able to recognize when something is wrong. Doing semi-regular self-examinations is a good way of making sure that everything is in order when it comes to breast health.
Aside from awareness, October is also a month of advocacy and fundraising to support breast cancer research. At Canisius, the upcoming women’s soccer and volleyball games against Niagara on Oct. 30th are both breast cancer awareness games – a pink-out for soccer, and Dig Pink for volleyball. This past weekend, the American Cancer Society held their Making Strides event, which is a fundraiser walk to support breast cancer research. They’ve raised $275,545 according to their website, all of which will be used to fund programming and research to improve our knowledge of breast cancer and work towards eradicating it.
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