Getting the Titty Check

So October is Breast Cancer Awareness month......and as women's (and even men's) duty I believe that everyone should get a breast exam or mammogram.  I will be turning 31 years old in a few short days and I just scheduled my first exam.  You see I have history on both sides of my family of breast cancer~my maternal grandmother, Mildred North had it when she was older in life.  Breast cancer also hits my paternal side of the family in 2 of my Aunts.  Not sure on the ages of them~but they must have been in their mid 40's-50's.  I remember when my Aunt Sandy was going through her treatments and she lost all of her hair~she wore a hat all of the time.  Then she bravely decided no more~my dad used to call her Uncle Fester from the Aadams Family!!  lol  (nice brother!)

It's difficult to see so many strong women fall and be halted by such a overcoming illness.  There are woman in the community that I live in that have been touched by cancer and have lived to tell their story.  One woman even decided to fight back so hard that she developed a Relay For Life team called the "Fighting Flamingo's"  The fun part of this group is they raise money for the team by "flocking"  It is such a sight to see as well.  You see the term "flocking" is just what it seems.......it's a flock of PINK FLAMINGO'S!!  They get donations from people to litter peoples lawns with those cute little stick in the ground pink birdies~when they wake up in the morning and to their surprise they have a army of pink flamingo's.  I think it's a great way to show some fun while still supporting a great cause.  I recently joined the Fighting Flamingo's team~haven't had the pleasure to flock anyone yet but someday my day will come!!  lol

The thing about breast cancer is that it doesn't discriminate~it doesn't care if you are black, white, green or purple.  Thick, thin or in between~it just doesn't give a damn~(if only other people could be as "caring" as cancer.)

Some facts to chew on about Breast Cancer:

• New cases: 226,870 (female); 2,190 (male)
• Deaths: 39,510 (female); 410 (male)
• it's the No. 2 cause of cancer death in women (second only to lung cancer)
• Some of the factors associated with breast cancer -- being a woman, your age, and your genetics, for example -- can't be changed. Other factors -- maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, smoking cigarettes,  and eating nutritious food -- can be changed by making choices. By choosing the healthiest lifestyle options possible, you can empower yourself and make sure your breast cancer risk is as low as possible.
• about 1 out of 8 invasive breast cancers develop in women younger than 45. About 2 out of 3 invasive breast cancers are found in women 55 or older.
• Women with close relatives who've been diagnosed with breast cancer have a higher risk of developing the disease.

  If you've had one first-degree female relative (sister, mother, daughter) diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk is doubled. If two first-degree relatives have been diagnosed, your risk is 5 times higher than average.
  If your brother or father have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk is higher, though researchers aren't sure how much higher.
  In some cases, a strong family history of breast cancer is linked to having an abnormal gene associated with a high risk of breast cancer, such as the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. In other cases, an abnormal CHEK2 gene may play a role in developing breast cancer.
  *About 5% to 10% of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary, caused by abnormal genes passed from parent to child.
  *Breastfeeding can lower breast cancer risk, especially if a woman breastfeeds for longer than 1 year. There is less benefit for women who breastfeed for less than a year, which is more typical for women living in countries such as the United States. There are several reasons why breastfeeding protects breast health:
  

  • making milk 24/7 limits breast cells' ability to misbehave
  • most women have fewer menstrual cycles when they're breastfeeding (added to the 9 missed periods during pregnancy) resulting in lower estrogen levels
  • many women tend to eat more nutritious foods and follow healthier lifestyles (limit smoking and alcohol use) while breastfeeding
    

There are hundreds more facts on breast cancer~I found many of these with many more at http://www.breastcancer.org/

Case in point of this particular blog entry is to take care of yourself.  If not for you then  for your family.  I know I look at my 4 girls and want to be there for them when they walk down the isle (in many, many years!)  I want to be with my husband till we are both old, grey and wrinkly!! lol  As a woman it's our job to keep healthy so we can someday take over the world!!  :)