Hope For The Cure - Breast Cancer Awareness


	Mammograms SAVE Lives! Be sure to schedule your yearly mammogram!


	We support the “Buddy” program. Call a buddy each month and remind each other to do a breast self-exam.

What is a page about breast cancer doing on a site about moose and wildlife?? The owner of this site is a breast cancer survivor so it is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Before being diagnosed with breast cancer, I was a bit smug. I was not even 60 years old and no one in my family had ever had any kind of cancer so I was sure that that lump would be benign. Turns out that it wasn’t and I will never forget my anguish the day that the surgeon called to say that the lump was cancerous. My first thought was that I was going to die and would never live to see my grand kids grow. Well, thank God for all the technology today because here I am, six years later, still around to tell the tale. PLEASE, if you find a lump during a BSE, try not to panic. Most lumps are benign. If the unthinkable happens and it turns out to be cancer, remember that early detection makes the prognosis much more in your favor. For most of us, THERE IS LIFE AFTER BREAST CANCER!!

NOTE: December 13, 2007 - I had my annual mammogram. Needless to say, after having had cancer, I go to these annual appointments with trepidation. I wonder if I will ever be able to be nonchalant about these annual appointments again. I am happy to report that all was well and I can breathe a sigh of relief again!

am I at risk for breast cancer?...
Simply being a woman and getting older puts you at risk. There are other risk factor but even if you have several it does not mean that you will get breast cancer. It just means that your chances of getting the disease may be higher than for another woman who has fewer risk factors. Many women that have or have at breast cancer had no risk factors other than being female.
What causes breast cancer? The causes are not fully know. However, there are know risk factors that you can control and others that you can’t change. Below are some of the risk factors:
Being female Carcinoma in situ Radiation exposure in youth Having no children or having first child after age 35 Overweight or weight gain Postmenopausal hormone use (HRT) Benign breast disease (hyperplasia) Being tall	Getting older Having a family history of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer Personal history of breast cancer Ashkenazi Jewish heritage First period before age 12 High levels of estrogen in the blood High socioeconomic status Not breast-feeding	Drinking alcohol Inherited genetic mutations High breast density on mammogram Menopause at age 55 or older High bone density Lack of exercise Current/recent use of birth control pills Breast Health - What Every Woman Should Know - Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

3 most important steps for early detection...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Getting tested regularly is the best way for women to lower their risk of dying from the disease. Screening tests can find cancer early, when it’s still in the breast and most treatable. Here are the three most important steps for early detection. When breast cancer is found early and confined to the breast, the 5-year survival rate is over 95%.

Mammograms every year starting at age 40

Women under 40 with a family history of breast cancer or other concerns should talk to a health care provider.
Screening tests may be needed more often and/or started earlier

Clinical breast exams by a health care provider

At least every three years starting at the age of 20
Every year after age 40

Breast self exams (BSE) every month starting by age 20

BSE takes only a few minutes - but it could be the best time investment of your lifetime.

Don’t know how to properly do a BSE? - Click HERE to go to the Komen website for a short video.

need more info?...

Click on links below for two of the best sites on the web for breast cancer info:

sites that support breast cancer?...

Sites below donate for breast cancer research. There are many more companies that donate to breast cancer research. Please support them.

Ford Warriors In Pink
Yoplait Every Lid Matters

This site is a member of WebRing.
To browse visit Here.


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	We carry great gifts for the survivor or the newly diagnosed. Most manufacturers of these products donate a portion of proceeds to breast cancer research. Click on any item to go to “Hope For Cure” gift section.