What is being done in our nation’s school systems to promote awareness about the cancer that affects 1 in 8 women in the United States?

One example of how non-profits are reaching the youth comes from Zero Breast Cancer, an organization that involves the community in the research process. They created a peer education tool kit to be distributed throughout school systems in California.

Designed for teens ages 14-17, this cancer program incorporates creative ways to boost reduction methods. According to Zero Breast Cancer’s website, the tool kit consists of:
Lesson Overview and Learning Objectives
Lesson Outline with Activity Options for Peer Educators and Teachers
Module Templates:
Top Twelve Messages
Background Messages for Peer Educators
Vocabulary
Glossary
Breast Cancer Fact Sheet
Model Teen Brochure
Personal Action Plan
Evaluation Survey
Resource Materials List
Breast Cancer and Environment References

The website also provides easy access for educators to print lesson handouts such as fact sheets, health sheets, and brochures aimed towards high schoolers. There is even a section on breast cancer tips for Latina teens including Spanish translation for the materials.

In the midst of the social media era, websites like Zero Breast Cancer’s prove just as effective for the promotion of a cause. A user-friendly interface and ample information that can be easily printed for distribution aid in the spread of knowledge.

But Zero Breast Cancer’s campaign doesn’t just stop at targeting the youth, they are also dedicated to raising awareness about environmental factors that can play a role in breast cancer. Their lesson plans also take a look at possible links including second-hand tobacco smoke, alcohol use, and chemicals that can mimic estrogen.

Taken from the Frequently Asked Questions section of an available lesson supplement:
What are some things I can do about suspected environmental exposures and breast cancer risk?
Be aware of your everyday exposures, read labels, and use caution with suspected exposures, for example:
Avoid re-using clear plastic (polycarbonate) water bottles that have been sitting in the sun or absorbing heat
Use opaque bottles made with the plastics PET, or polyethylene, and store sport bottles in a cool place.
Be aware of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products (check the list at www.safecosmetics.org)

Here’s a picture of the marquee for the screening of Toxic Bust: Chemicals and Breast Cancer sponsored by Zero Breast Cancer

http://zerobreastcancer.org/index.php

As a worldwide initiative of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) is in its 15th year of helping women diagnosed with breast cancer gain access to reliable health information and quality health care. Over the years, the foundation has raised more than $50 million for breast cancer charities worldwide. Its network of supporters includes fashion designers, models, and retailers.

In commemoration of its 15th anniversary, the CFDA teamed up with multimedia retailer QVC to create QVC Designer Charms for Charity. The collection features charms from some of CFDA’s top designers, including Robert Lee Morris, Anthony Nak, Bradley Bayou, George Simonton, and Marc Bouwer. The crowning jewel of the collection is the 15th Anniversary FTBC charm. The pieces were also featured in QVC’s broadcasts from Fashion Week and they were also available for purchase on QVC’s website.

“It is an honor to be working with the CFDA for this wonderful cause,” said Claire Watts, president of U.S. Commerce for QVC. “Not only is it a great way for our shoppers to purchase one of these exclusive charms but it also allows them to give back to a great organization.”

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer was the initial inspiration of Ralph Lauren after the loss of his close friend Nina Hyde. According to Diane von Furstenberg, president of the CFDA, “Nina Hyde, who was a very important fashion journalist from The Washington Post, got breast cancer, and it was really early on and unfortunately, she passed away. She was very close to Ralph Lauren, and Ralph Lauren really wanted to do something.” The initiative was launched in 1994 at the White House during a reception for CFDA members and leaders in the fashion industry, hosted by then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

FTBC has blossomed to become the global fashion community’s most successful response to breast cancer, with active campaigns in Australia, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, Portugal, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its primary goal is to impact the broadest number of women possible through the distribution of innovative information, education and outreach.

“It’s an overwhelming problem, and it’s really hard to see how you can help,” said Lily Cole, a model featured in a Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign. “By supporting Fashion Targets Breast Cancer worldwide, it’s a simple way to make a big difference.”

For more information on the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, please visit www.fashiontargetsbreastcancer.org

Author: Jessica Ferreira

Although only 36 years old, TV star and Broadway starlet Christina Applegate faced a major decision in 2008 when doctors found cancerous lumps in one of her breasts. She looked to her mother, a repeat breast cancer survivor, for the strength to make the right decision. She decided to go ahead with a double mastectomy and later underwent reconstructive surgery. She is now a very public advocate for the fight against breast cancer and she talked about her personal experience and her goals as a survivor in an interview with Good Morning America.

Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2006, rocker Sheryl Crow had a new outlook on life and decided to adopt a child, her son Wyatt, in 2007. As she told Glamour magazine,  ”Having cancer made me say ‘OK, what is it I want from life?’ I thought, if I want to be a mom, there are kids out there that need moms. I think you choose your family. And I did.”

Melissa Etheridge took the stage at the 2005 Grammys in the middle of her battle with breast cancer, and she did it completely bald. “Maybe this’ll help somebody who’s sitting on chemo, laying in bed and going ‘God, I’m bald.” Isn’t this weird? Maybe it’ll help them feel a little better I didn’t know to what extent that would happen,” she told Dateline NBC. Little did she know the impact her perfomance would have. 

On her album Gaia, One Woman’s Journey, singer/actress Olivia Newton-John speaks out about her successful fight against breast cancer in 1992. She also established the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia to increase public awareness of the disease. Her latest development is the Olivia Breast Self-Exam Kit, scheduled to go on sale in October at liv.com

When former Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith had a bout with breast cancer, she relied on the support of her closest friends, including one friend who had successfully fought breast cancer. Jaclyn is especially committed to helping other women the way her friends helped her. She toured the country with the educational program “Strength in Knowing: The Facts and Fiction of Breast Cancer Risk.” 

It may seem as though only women in the spotlight are taking a stand against breast cancer, but Stephen Baldwin proves that some Hollywood hunks are just as involved in the battle against the disease. After his mother Carol founded the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund during her fight with breast cancer, Stephen was inspired by the awareness she was generating on her own and decided to volunteer on behalf of the organization. Since then, all of the Baldwin brothers have been involved and the organization has raised nearly $3 million for research. 

Author: Jessica Ferreira

1. Just Say No

Studies have shown that women who drink more than 2 to 5 drinks daily have  1½ times more of a risk then a women who does not drink alcohol daily. The largest study ever conducted says that three drinks a day increase the risk of estrogen- and progesterone-positive cancer by as much as 51 percent. A second study shows that specific variations within two genes involved in metabolizing alcohol are associated with an increased risk for breast cancer in postmenopausal women.These two studies do not prove drinking automatically causes cancer but they show evidence that drinking is a risk factor for cancer.

2. Quit While Ahead

Studies show that if women start to smoke at an early age it might increase their risk for breast cancer. It is not a direct risk for breast cancer but it defiantly would not hurt to quit either way. Smoking is not part of a healthy lifestyle that keeps risk factors low for cancer.

3. Work it Out

Working out can reduce the risk of breast cancer. It has been known for a while that vigorous exercise can reduce cancer risk, but there is a new that investigates and looks at the importance of different levels of intensities of exercise at different stages in an individual’s life. You need to maintain a certain level of activity at each stage in your life to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

4. Be Informed

Breast cancer can be genetic so be informed and learn your family history. It is more likely you will get breast cancer if a close family member has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Genetic testing and counseling to those who want to be checked and just because an immediate family member does have breast cancer that does not mean you automatically have it.

5. Check Yourself

Check your breast every month. This is not a method that will reduce breast cancer but it will help you and your doctor is able to catch and treat cancer early on.

6. Keep a Low Fat Diet

Since estrogen has a major role in the development of breast cancer, fat tissue contains small amounts of estrogen and may increase your risk if you eat to many fatty foods. Also keeping a low fat diet helps obesity, which has been known to be a big risk factor for breast cancer.

7. Get a Mammogram!!!

This will also not prevent breast cancer but just like the self-exam it can let you and your doctor. detect breast cancer early on. The mammogram will detect lumps you might have not felt on your own.

8. Get your 7-8 Hours

Getting a good nights rest in a completely dark room helps you to reenergize. Lack of sleep is a risk for breast cancer while getting enough sleep can negate your risk for breast cancer.

9. High Fiber

Eating foods high in fiber helps reduce the risk breast cancer. A UK study shows that a high fiber diet reduced cancer risks by 50 percent.

10. Be a nut

A new study has shown that eating walnuts helps to reduce breast cancer risks as well as heart disease. The study said that phytosterols in walnuts bind to estrogen, which can slow the growth of tumors. Just two handfuls a day can befit your health.

Most of these tips will not prevent cancer but they will reduce your risk for getting breast cancer and will help you live a healthy more active lifestyle.

Cancer survivor Margery Rath started the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events. She wanted to find a way to celebrate fellow cancer survivors by raising funds for the American Cancer Society. She worked with a committee of fellow cancer survivors and other volunteers and created a “move-along-a-thon” called Making Strides Against Cancer to bring people of all abilities together in an event to move the fight against cancer forward. The first event, held in Boston, drew 200 participants and became a yearly event in the city.

Today, the event has inspired nearly 5 million walkers to participate in Making Strides events in more than 145 communities across the country, raising more than $340 million to fight breast cancer.

The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event honors breast cancer survivors, raises awareness about the disease, and helps save lives. All you have to do is walk or donate money to a person that is walking and you are helping in the fight to cure cancer.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer also has a national league. This program allows a company or organization to join the fight against breast cancer. The Making Strides National Team Program offers a way to boost morale for a company and shows that they have commitment to an important cause. Some of the national team supporters for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer are Bank of America, Wal-Mart, Curves, Kroger and more.

You can participate as big as Nationally or by starting a group of your own. The VCU Radiation Sciences team started their own team to get involved in the fight against cancer. The team walked in this years 2009 American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Kanawha Plaza.

The VCU Radiation Sciences team was the largest registered team from both VCU and VCU Medical Center.

The team this year lead by Melanie Dempsey, Assistant Professor for Department of Radiologic Radiation and Jodi Dualan, Radiation Sciences Student, has raised over $3,200 to date to support breast cancer research and the society’s endeavors.

The team raised so much money that they were ranked in the top ten this year thanks to the support of its 56 members.

The event overall raised over $500,000 thanks to the National supporters, the VCU Radiation Sciences team and many other supporters and sponsors who gave wither their time or money to help and support the cause.

This is a great program and everyone should get involved or donate to the Making Strides Against Brest Cancer Event.

One woman, who was only 29 years old when she misdiagnosed with breast cancer, documented her journey through a blog.

Doctors believed it was merely a cyst, but it turned out to be much more.  This blog follows her journey through the process that followed.  It was a year from the time the lump was noticed until she received a mammogram.

Her story shows how important it is for women to perform self-exams and be able to notice if something is wrong.  The doctor may not catch something, but you know your body and you know when something doesn’t seem right.

Young women often ignore the signs because they think they are too young to develop breast cancer.  The early you can catch the disease, the better the survival rate.  Unfortunately many younger women with the disease are hit with a more aggressive form of the cancer.  This only reinforces why it is so crucial for young women to catch the disease in its beginnings.

The American Cancer Society recommends that all women over the age of 20 perform at-home breast exams once a month.  The best time to preform one is the first day after menstrual cycle ends.  By doing the self check every month you will become more aware of what’s normal for your breast.  Then if something doesn’t feel right late, you won’t be questioning if it has always been there.

It is also recommended women be checked by their doctor every three years after they turn 20.  If your doctor isn’t offering- ASK!  It only takes a few minutes and it truly can save your life.

Plus, getting in these habits of self monitoring and requesting exams at the doctor’s office at an early age will help you in the long run.  We all know the saying you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.  So don’t wait, start early.  If you are a mom with a daughter in her 20′s why not do a buddy reminder once a month?  Or ladies, if you have roommates you can help remind each other as well.

Not sure how to perform an at home exam?  WebMD offers some advice

The “windows of love” concept was meant to encourage women who may be battling the disease. The stores put up letters from employees, customers, friends, family members sharing their stories of survival. The stories came from those who battled the disease, and from those who witnessed a loved one struggle through it. Each story offered a window into how this disease affects women (and men) on a personal level.

The company’s goal was to reach 1 million in contributions from customers, and the company itself plans to donate a minimum of $50,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Fund.
Guests to the stores were asked if they would like to contribute (any amount was welcome.) If they contributed $10, the customer had his or her choice of a pink baseball style hat, or a pink scarf. Seventy-five percent of the purchase went to the Breast Cancer Research Fund. If a customer decided that he or she did not want the scarf or hat, then the full $10 went to the research fund.

Customers were also entered into a drawing for a gift bag that included more than $500 in items. Each store had different items, but some of the bags included Chi flat irons, fragrances, hair products, makeup and pink Yankee candles. The company hasn’t said yet whether it has reached its 1 million dollar goal, but let’s hope it was able to!

Every dollar counts. You may think your one measly dollar won’t help, but it adds up. We all need to contribute to the funding, the research and the understanding of this disease. It affects everyone, but maybe together we can make it affect no one.

The “Windows of Love” campaign ended with the month of October, but the disease continues to be a fight women make every day. You can still donate to help these women by contributing directly to the Breast Cancer Research Fund

And even though you can no longer post your story at the store, please feel free to post it here. Offer support and understanding to others who are going through this same trying experience that you are. If you’re a survivor, let other women know that they too can battle this. You’re not alone and we’re all in this together. Let’s work together to save our mothers, sisters, friends, and neighbors.

Breast cancer awareness often times is perceived only to benefit women, but men you are also at risk. Men also have breast tissue that can develop cancer. We want you to be just as informed about this deadly cancer that can affect you as well. We want you to be safe.

What are the types of breast cancer in men?
Here’s what the American Cancer Society has to say:

1 in 10 cases of breast cancer in men are Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
Cancer cells form in the breast ducts but do not invade through the walls of the ducts into the fatty tissue of the breast or spread outside the breast. It is almost always curable with surgery.

8 out of 10 cases are Infiltrating (or invasive) ductal carcinoma (IDC)
It breaks through the wall of the duct and invades the fatty tissue of the breast. At this point, it can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.

Infiltrating (or invasive) lobular carcinoma (ILC)
Starts in the breast lobules and invades the fatty tissue of the breast. ILC is very rare in men, accounting for only about 2% of breast cancers.

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
Abnormal cells form in the lobules, but they do not invade into the fatty tissue of the breast or spread outside the breast. Although LCIS is sometimes classified as a type of non-invasive breast cancer, most breast specialists think it is a pre-cancerous condition rather than a true non-invasive cancer. It is very rare in men.

Paget disease of the nipple
Starts in the breast ducts and spreads to the nipple. It may also spread to the areola (the dark circle around the nipple). The skin of the nipple usually appears crusted, scaly, and red, with areas of itching, oozing, burning, or bleeding. It accounts for about 1% of female breast cancers and a higher percentage of male breast cancers.

For more information about breast cancer in men, check out the American Cancer Society’s page on key statistics.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_male_breast_cancer_28.asp?rnav=cri

Everywhere, a social media communications and content company, launched the #BeatCancer campaign at the beginning of October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

#BeatCancer was designed as a social media experiment to combine the popularity of social media sites with fighting cancer. #BeatCancer was the brainchild of Everywhere’s managing partner Tamara Knechtel.

“If Ashton Kutcher could get a million followers, couldn’t we take on a social cause through social media? My business partners who’ve watched as I’ve struggled with cancer suggested we try to beat cancer through social media. Thus #BeatCancer was born.”

The idea evolved into a competition to break the Guinness World Record for the largest distribution of mass message through social media. The guidelines were as follows: “In a 24-hour period of time starting Friday, October 16th at 9 am (PDT) and lasting until Saturday, October 17th at 9am (PDT) people all over the internet stratosphere will be asked to send tweets and Facebook status updates and to blog using #BeatCancer in their posts.”

Ebay/Paypal and MillerCoors Brewing Company agreed to donate a penny for every Tweet, Facebook update or blog post that included the phrase #BeatCancer. At the close of competition, #BeatCancer had been mentioned 667,061 times over the various social media sites, setting the new Guinness World Record and raising over $70,000 for Stand Up To Cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Bright Pink, and Spirit Jump, all charities benefiting cancer research.

This experiment really took into account the influence social media sites having on communicating for a cause. Instead of using Facebook or Twitter just for personal social use, it shed light on the sheer power these tools can also have in terms of non-profit exposure. With the help of web design and public relations firms, the experiment’s official website www.beatcancereverywhere.com showcased what people were saying about #BeatCancer in real time.

The following video serves as another example of how non profits are embracing social media.

As a national leader in the search for a cure for breast cancer, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is taking its fight to the next level with the launch of a new social networking site. Established in 1982 by Komen’s sister Nancy G. Brinker, the foundation has invested nearly $1.5 billion over the past quarter of a century in private funds for breast cancer research and community outreach programs. The largest breast cancer charity in the world, the Komen organization seeks to connect the countless women and men worldwide afflicted by breast cancer and those who have fought the battle alongside them. The new site, “myKomen”, provides an online community for breast cancer activists, survivors and supporters to discuss their individual stories and shared experiences with others who have been affected by the disease. 

“myKomen allows users to share their knowledge, their support, their victories, even virtual hugs, 24 hours a day. It`s a visual representation of our grassroots network,” said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “myKomen complements the award-winning redesign of komen.org, supplementing the existing content and taking it to the next level.”

Upon visiting my.komen.org, new users can create personalized profiles to share their stories and messages. As a social networking site, myKomen works in a similar way to Facebook, including news feeds, a message wall, and the ability to share photos, videos and links to pages on the main website komen.org. One of the most interesting features of a myKomen profile is the Interactive Map, an efficient way for any member to become more involved in local events and make a difference in his or her community. Members can invite friends to join, establish tribute pages for loved ones, and build a worldwide support system. 

Offering a forum for people to discuss their unique experiences and find others who can identify is a great way to empower people and keep pushing the limits of science to find the cures. Through this new social network, the Komen organization has created an outlet to give anyone the opportunity to be part of a community that spans the globe, providing help and hope and celebrating survival. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is strengthening the global breast cancer movement and making a difference in millions of lives one Internet user at a time. 

Author: Jessica Ferreira