October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
 

Breast cancer. Two words that have become so common within the North American vernacular. However, women have not yet become so desensitized to these words that we do not fear the odds of developing the condition, or losing a loved one to it.

Going through puberty, buying that first bra, and going through that realization that some shirts are just not fitting right anymore is a staple to the female experience. In many ways, when we develop breasts, we embark on the voyage into womanhood with these new rounded additions to our body, which we (hopefully) grow to love and, in part, identify ourselves with. When a woman has breast cancer, and is faced with the many challenges of treatment, she is also, in a way, mourning the loss of a meaningful part of herself.

The breast has nourished life since the beginning of humankind. Without it, we could not survive. This is why breast cancer is not just a women’s battle. It is a battle for everyone.

October is special because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As part of this, women should take part in educating each other about breast health.

The causes and preventative methods of breast cancer are often debated. In fact, many women, 70 per cent according to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, had no risk indicators for developing this cancer.

When one in nine women is expected to develop breast cancer, we cannot just accept that the cause is unknown and that breast cancer could happen to anybody.

When scientists discovered how many chemicals were present in the Great Lakes, we cannot just accept these cancer rates.

When breast milk is examined and toxins from the environment are present in it, we cannot just accept these cancer rates.

Please join OPSEU’s Provincial Women’s Committee in marking October as a special month and join us in our efforts to empower women with knowledge in breast health care and in fighting for prevention and a cure.

Because we all would like to see the word, cancer, made a part of history.

October is Breast Cancer Month

Early Detection & Breast Screening

If breast cancer is found and treated early, when it is small, the better the chances that it can be cured.  Breast screening programs and better treatments have helped to reduce the number of women who die from the disease.

Breast Self Exam

Examining yourself on a routine basis allows you to become familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel.  Although breast self exams are important, they would not replace regular clinical breast exams or mammograms.

Clinic Breast Exam

A clinical breast exam is an examination by a healthcare professional who uses his/her hands to feel for lumps or other changes.  Many women have a Clinical Breast Exam as part of their regular annual health check-up.

Did you know?

In 2008

-     an estimated 22,400 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 will die from it

-     approximately 431 Canadian Women will be diagnosed with breast cancer weekly and 102 will not survive it

-    1 in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime (age 90) and 1 in 28 will die from it

-     It is expected that 170 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 50 will die from it.

Source Canadian Cancer Society/National Cancer Institute of Canada:  Canadian Cancer Statistics 2008, Toronto, Canada

Submitted by Mary Cory