Does the word “cancer” mean anything to anyone of us in 2024? Does it remind us of a certain acquaintance or a loved one who contended with it? We may be the ones who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and experienced our world come to a stop when we heard the news. The surgery and treatments, along with the thought that we may not have much time to spend with our loved ones. The experience of pain, the side effects of medications along with the struggle of self-worth. Perhaps we are the loved ones, who experience sleepless nights with tears and much exercise of patience as we nurse these ones. Words can never translate the experience.
Globally, it is the most common cancer affecting women. It occurs when cells in breast tissue change and divide uncontrolled, typically resulting in a lump or mass. Breast cancer typically has no symptoms when it is small and easily treated, which is why mammography screening is important for early detection. A painless lump in the breast or underarm lymph nodes is the most common sign, but other signs and symptoms include breast pain or heaviness; swelling or redness; and nipple changes or discharge.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an international health campaign that is intended to increase awareness of breast cancer. It was started in 1985 by the American Cancer Society. According to nationalbreastcancer.org, here are a few facts:
A woman in the U.S. today has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer over her lifetime and a 1 in 39 chance of dying from breast cancer.
Nearly 30% of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer later develop metastatic breast cancer.
U.S. men make up 1 of every 100 breast cancer diagnoses in the country.
There are about 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., including women receiving breast cancer treatment.
While the percentage of women dying from breast cancer has gone down in recent decades, Black women remain more likely to die from breast cancer than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
Nowadays, many people show their support by wearing a pink ribbon or even having an awareness sticker on their cars for everyone to see. We can definitely appreciate that. However, we also have an opportunity to learn and educate ourselves not just from the disease itself but about life. Often, many who are cancer survivors or those currently getting treatment have life stories. In addition to their discovery, their fears, and anxieties, they also find joy during adversities. Often, these cancer patients develop qualities and strengths they never knew they had. They truly are a library of wisdom available to you and me.
We can talk to those caregivers who cared for their family members for years. What has helped them to cope? How were they able to keep their smile through difficulties? Often, they were the source of strength and comfort as they care for their loved ones. They develop the quality of endurance along with the understanding of what is truly important in life. If we were able to pick up a few lessons from these ones along with understanding breast cancer, then we ourselves have become a bit wiser. Together, we become a positive force and a source of comfort for those individuals who have breast cancer and their loved ones.