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Breast Cancer Awareness Month
What you can do to get involved
By Michelle Sauer
After lung cancer, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
Breast cancer is rapidly becoming a more influential and highly discussed topic among Americans.
Foundations like the Deanna Favre Foundation are cultivating awareness of this topic year-round, and rightly so. It is a cancer that affects both men and women. It is, however, the most common cancer in women in the United States.
“The American Cancer Society estimates that about 40,000 women will die from the disease this year. Right now there are slightly over 2 million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer,” states the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Web site.
One of the most important thing a person affected by breast cancer directly or indirectly can do is stay as informed as possible, and that’s what October is all about, information and awareness.
Breast cancer is one form of a malignant tumor that grows in one or both of the breasts.
There are several types of cancer, which can be divided into the two main categories of invasive and noninvasive cancers. After lung cancer, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. One factor in an individual’s chances of getting cancer is race. African-American women have a slightly lower incidence of breast cancer after age 40 than Caucasian women, but a slightly higher rate before age 40.
Breast cancer is much less common in males, as it occurs up to 100 times more in women. This does not mean men should count themselves out, though. About 500 males will die from breast cancer yearly.
Now is the time to take notice and take steps toward prevention and recognition of this deadly cancer. UW-Milwaukee offers two ways to get involved in the breast cancer fight, both at campus sporting events this coming week.
Friday Oct. 17, the women’s soccer team plays Butler at 7 p.m. on Engelmann Field. Admission will be only $1 for those who attend wearing pink, the official color for breast cancer awareness and research. Likewise on Saturday Oct. 18, the women’s volleyball team is playing Wright State at 4 p.m. in the Klotsche Center. Attendance in pink attire will result in a $1 admission fee here as well.
Take advantage of these events and the many other similar ones out there. Think of ways you can make a difference in helping Americans recapture their lives from the cancer they are fighting. Visit www.nationalbreastcancer.org or www.charitynavigator.org to find out how to donate to the cause today.
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