How to Be an Active Part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

National Breast Cancer Awareness month is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.  About 12.4 percent or 1 in 8 American women will develop breast cancer sometime during her life. In 2017 alone, there were an estimated 255,180 new cases of invasive breast cancer, and about 41,070 people died last year from breast cancer—40,610 of them women. The numbers went up in 2018, to an estimated 268,670 new cases and 41,400 deaths, 40,920 of them women. With such devastating statistics, you mi raising awareness and offering assistance

With such devastating numbers and widespread occurrence of breast cancer, October is the perfect time for you to be an active part of breast cancer awareness month. More women receive an optimistic prognosis each year, in part due to earlier detection, but also because of increased knowledge about the disease from events like breast cancer awareness month. Here are some of the great ways you can get involved during October, no matter if you haven’t been personally affected by the disease.

Learn about breast cancer and share what you know

An important part of creating awareness is educating yourself about breast cancer, and sharing what you learn with others. Learn the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and make sure your family and friends know them, too. Breast cancer warning signs include a lump in the breast, tenderness in or around the nipples, discolored nipple discharge, and an enlargement of pores or other changes in the breasts’ skin texture.

Learn about healthy lifestyle changes that can help prevent breast cancer, and pass them on. These kinds of changes include limiting your alcohol intake, being a non-smoker, exercising often, and eating fruits and vegetables.

Promote early detection

Take an active step toward prevention of breast cancer by promoting early detection. There’s no better time to remember to schedule that overdue mammogram for yourself and remind your family members and friends to get theirs.

Monthly self-exams should also be on your mandatory “to-do” list, this month and every month. About 20 percent of breast cancers are detected during monthly self-exams.

“Actively” seek out a cure

If you really want to be an active part of breast cancer awareness month, get literal and be active! Breast cancer walks and runs are popular, and they’re a fun way to get involved and keep healthy while pushing toward a cure. The American Cancer Society’s website lists events nationwide, so you can find an event near you.

Get cooking

If you are a cook, spend some loving time in the kitchen for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Bring one of these pink food recipes from Genius Kitchen or one of these delicious gourmet pink creations from Bon Appetit to work, for example. Everyone loves to eat, and bringing these treats to share with others is a great way to start a conversation and keep it going.

Raise some money

Host an all pink party if you’d like to try to raise some money and you’re into entertaining. It’s pretty easy to decorate all pink and send guests home with fun pink treats and goodie bags, and you can also offer pink crafts to keep guests happy and busy. Or, you can start a social media fundraiser on Kickstarter or GoFundMe. Every dollar helps!

Donate mindfully

For some of us, donating is the best thing to do, especially since researchers put the money to great use. Have some wonderful tickets, or a vacation property, or a designer item, or a piece of art you can part with? Donate something to the Karen Wellington Foundation, an organization which treats women living with breast cancer to fun activities such as spa days, concerts, special vacations and more. If you’d rather keep things all business, donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a safe and productive place for your breast cancer research dollars.

Be the help someone with breast cancer needs

Offer help to someone who’s struggling in breast cancer treatment. If you don’t know anyone, ask around. There’s no doubt that being in treatment gets in the way of just about everything else, so they need help!

Offer your services for housecleaning, help with meals, laundry, getting to and from appointments, and even yardwork—and if you don’t have time yourself, pitch in to pay for a service. Even seeing a fruit basket, fresh flowers, or cozy things like socks, blankets, and sweatshirts for chemotherapy days can really lift someone’s spirits.

Talk about it

There so many ways to be an active part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and one of the most important things you can do is keep the conversation going. Be sensitive and respectful, but ofto   individuals for privacy. Talk to friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers about cancer and how you might be able to offer help and support the fight for a cure. You can’t know until it happens, but there are times when the kind words of a stranger can make all the difference!

Thanks to Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa for sharing these mindful ways to be an active part of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

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