So with one week left to go until my breast cancer walk, I’ve hit my fundraising goal! According to the American Cancer Society, this makes me a pathfinder and I’m pretty proud that I’ve hit their goal but in my own mind, I have a much higher number I would like to hit because the more money raised through this walk and those like it, the greater chance we will have to one day see a cure for this terrible killer.
At the beginning of this month, I said I had some selfish reasons for wanting to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. Because I am a woman, I am at risk for being diagnosed with breast cancer. As I get older, I face a greater risk of the possibility of being diagnosed. At 20, I had a 1 in 1,760 chance of getting this disease but when I turn 30 next year, my chances become 1 in 229 (American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Facts and Figures). In addition to these factors, I have a family history of the disease on both sides of my family which again increases my chances. The scary part is that these are only a few of the risk factors that I have on my list.
Currently, I am completely cancer free but that doesn’t mean that there will never be a day when I am not. I would like to get to a day where I don’t have worry about the possibility or constantly be keeping a tally of all the risk factors against me. To every mother, daughter, sister, girlfriend, wife, or woman reading this, make sure that you are taking the necessary steps to detect breast cancer early. For every mother, daughter, sister, girlfriend, wife, or woman in your life, do something this month to help fight against breast cancer. I hope for a day where every woman can look in the mirror and say that they will die from something one day, but it will not be from breast cancer today.
October is breast cancer awareness month so get your PINK on by donating to the American Cancer Society! I’ll be walking in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk so either search for my name and credit your donation to me or make a general contribution. Do it for every sister, mother, wife, girlfriend, daughter or any woman in your life!
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