Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer by Frank Vanderlugt

Words cannot describe the feeling you get when you find out that you or a loved one has been diagnosed with breast cancer. To hear that breast cancer kills as many as 500,000 women and men worldwide each year and that's it's the fifth most common cause of death by cancer makes it all seem so hopeless.

Breast cancer treatments may sound scary. Chemotherapy? A mastectomy? Will you feel like yourself after such invasive procedures? Where do you turn? What doctors do you trust? Don't despair, though, and don't let breast cancer win!

You're not alone! And you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that your chances of survival, if your breast cancer has been caught early enough, are very high!

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation (komen.org) has become the leading nonprofit breast cancer awareness and charity foundations in the world since it was founded in 1982. The Komen Foundation welcomes women and men battling breast cancer, survivors of breast cancer, and all of their friends and family to join in promoting awareness and helping to raise funds for scientists to discover the cure for breast cancer.

Ever wonder how pink came to be associated with fighting breast cancer? The Komen Foundation is largely responsible for the idea of using pink ribbons and the color pink being used in products that give some of their donations to the foundation in order to fight breast cancer.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Komen Foundation holds it annual Race for the Cure. Survivors of breast cancer, people battling breast cancer, and their loved ones get some exercise in 5K runs/walks across the nation, with proceeds going to the Komen Foundation. It's a time for people impacted by breast cancer to form a sense of community and support, to breathe in the fresh air and stay in shape, and to laugh and have fun.

Visit the Komen Foundation's breast cancer awareness Web site for tips on living with and preventing cancer, a help hotline when you're feeling overwhelmed, the latest information on breast cancer research, an online community of support, and to purchase breast cancer awareness products to help fight breast cancer.

There is so much support and help available for those affected by breast cancer. You can find features similar to the Komen Foundation's Web site at BreastCancer.org, BreastCancer.net, NationalBreastCancer.org, and the National Cancer Institute's Web site on breast cancer at Cancer.gov.

Millions of people have fought breast cancer and millions of people are still living happy, productive lives with or without their breast cancer today. Stay informed about the latest breast cancer news, stay in touch with others in your situation, and do all that you can to help find the cure!