advocate breast cancer awareness during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I re-activated this goal last Saturday, and on Tuesday I found out that a friend had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Also, when attempting to re-activate this goal, I mistakenly created a duplicate goal, and then had a discussion on the duplicate goal that morphed from cancer statistics into availability of health care.

For me right now, availability of health care has become an even bigger issue. I think that since October is gone, I’ll mark this goal as done for now, and try to edit that duplicate goal to “advocate for health care reform.”

EDIT: Done. Here is my new goal.

...for breast cancer awareness that I’ve seen so far on 43-Things has got to be Cheryl’s ♥ Will Go On. All her writing is inspiring, and special kudos go to the huge buddy check 12 team that she created. She is a tireless advocate for breast cancer awareness all year round.

Honorable mention goes to cattack for her goal of continue to post on my cancer blog. Her blog is not specifically about breast cancer, but does include much useful information to raise awareness of all types of cancer.

...so I thought I’d get in a little advocating before Breast Cancer Awareness Month is gone.

and to those who visited http://www.thebreastcancersite.com to learn more about breast cancer and support research,

and to others who have supported this cause under other goal names and in other ways,

and especially to those who bravely shared how breast cancer has affected and is affecting their lives.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2005 at the age of 41. No family history. I had three children in my 20s and breast fed each for over a year. No risk factors- healthy weight, exercise, and so on. But it happened. I discovered the cancer myself. I completed treatment on May 30, 2005 and have had clear MRIs since then except for one scare that turned out to be radiation damage, not a recurrance. I have my next MRI in December and as usual, I’m already getting scared. So this is a good month to remind myself that I am a survivor, and remind others to do self exams and not ignore any unusual findings. Get yearly mammograms if you’re over 40, and earlier if you have any risk factors. Get MRIs if your mother or sister had breast cancer. Don’t put it off. Early detection is the key.

I lost my mother to breast cancer when she was only 38 years old and I was only 13.

I adopted this goal from Celtic Christian who wrote:
Chances are most of your already know about this site but in case you don’t http://www.thebreastcancersite.com is a easy way to support the cause by visiting it daily and clicking. You will then be taken to a page of adds for which the revenue goes to breast cancer research.

It’s a good thing to do. Even if one can’t donate anything, one can at least say something, you know?

I was the one who invited Des and maybe, quite unintentionally, indirectly started the long discussion here, because of that invite. I felt kind of guilty, so didn’t even participate. I didn’t mean to upset anyone and certainly meant no disrespect to people who have to deal with other kinds of cancer or, for that matter, with other terrible diseases (like Rheumatoid Arthitis, Diabetes, ALS, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease or Crohn’s Disease, as Segsid pointed out). Anyway, I think it’s good to have another perspective and to know more about how things (research, for instance) work.
I just received the invitation and I’m glad I did, because with my mom being diagnosed, it was really a nice touch of synchronicity to have so many people read my entries about it and send me their best wishes. It did help and I thank everyone who posted.

And about that: my mom went through her first chemo session. She felt really bad, and on the second night she passed out and had to be taken in an ambulance to the hospital. After that she started to really pay attention to drinking all the fluids she should, and I’m (comparatively) happy to say that she’s feeling much better. She also bought her first wig and a turban, and told me she noticed how many other women were doing the same, and that she doesn’t feel an outcast as she thought she would (as I said somewhere before, she’s an old lady, from a time when people wouldn’t even say the word).

from my mammogram. I need to remember to do monthly exams. I probably remember every second of third month. I need to work on this.

Spotted this bit in my morning read of the BBC – while I totally supoprt the Breast Cancer 3-Day in the US, the idea of hundreds of women in pink boas and fancy hats makes a much more power statement.

More than 1,000 women line Newcastle’s Millennium Bridge in the UK to support the charity Breast Cancer Awareness.