Every year, in October, I like to do a “reminder” blog on the month of October being “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. While all of us women should be on top of getting our yearly mammograms done, I know that life sometimes gets in the way and making the appointment for a mammogram does not take precedence over more pressing matters. But the thing is, by getting a yearly mammogram done, you could head off a very potential and life-threatening issue, like breast cancer. Yes, a mammogram is uncomfortable, but it’s a 1/2 hour appointment, and it’s really not that bad. Not when you think about the possible consequences of NOT getting a mammogram done, or the fact that this one 1/2 hour in your day (once a year) could detect the beginnings of breast cancer, when it’s still easily treatable. Even if you don’t have breast cancer in your family, it doesn’t mean that you’re immune. Breast cancer does not discriminate, and it could, and does, happen to the healthiest of people.
So, my reminder today is for all of you to make your mammogram appointment for this year, and keep it! I had my mammogram done last month, so I’m challenging you all to get it done, too! Each year, 182,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 43,300 die. One woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 400 will die this year. If detected early, the five year survival rate exceeds 95%. Mammograms are among the best early detection methods, yet 13 million US women 40 years of age or older have never had a mammogram.
Now I want you to go and help someone get a mammogram who can’t afford one. It’s free, easy to do, and only takes a minute or two of your time. There are many women out there who don’t have the medical insurance to get a yearly mammogram, or just can’t afford the cost on their own. The best and earliest way to detect breast cancer is by having a mammogram, and it’s imperative that it’s done yearly. Especially after the age of 40.
That said, I would like each and every one of you to go to The Breast Cancer Site, where you can click on the “Fund Free Mammograms” button to help fund free mammograms to low-income, inner-city and minority women, whose awareness of breast cancer is often limited. This is a very legitimate site, and you are allowed to visit The Breast Cancer Site daily and click once.
Here are a few other ways to help fund those free mammograms. Tell your friends and family about The Breast Cancer Site. By spreading the word, you’ll help increase the number of visitors to The Breast Cancer Site and the amount of funding they generate for mammograms. Word of mouth – telling 5 friends who tell 5 friends – is a powerful way to fight breast cancer. And remember, you can click on this link once a day!
Make The Breast Cancer Site your home page and visit daily as soon as you log on to the internet! This is a great way to remind yourself to click each day, while spreading the word to others.
So, what are you waiting for? Go to The Breast Cancer Site and help fund mammograms, then make your yearly mammogram appointment for yourself! Then check back on Friday, when I’ll be featuring a special “Breast Cancer Awareness” giveaway for this month!
I hope this gives all you a chuckle:
Janelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 25 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 45 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.
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Once Upon A Valentine
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I have already done my click on the site for the day- it is one of the first things I do everyday- on all the links. Takes just a minute and who doesn’t want to help in some way to deal with the Mammos, literacy, feed a child, the rainforest and helping animals. Then I head to freekibble.com and do the dogs and cats ones. Free rice to but that one gets danged addictive!!
My Mammo is already scheduled- I do it every October. And if more men a) got breast cancer and b) they actually mentioned it more than they do, I am sure the male drs. of this world would find a more comfortable way to do these things. But I do like the Manogram!!!
I was listening to the sister of Susan B. Koman the other day, and not once did she mention men and breast cancer. I think that is a tragedy too. I know that we, as women, are more likely to get it but to ignore it for men is wrong. And let’s face some cold, hard facts. If men got it more often, there would be more research going on, insurance companies would cough up more coverage than they do and there would be a more comfortable way to test for it.
Did you ever notice that if a man can get the disease, they look at it totally different? When I had my hysterectomy in March, some idiot dr. (mine was not on that day) trie to send me home 2 days afterwards. Granted, it was laproscopic, so it wasn’t as bad as a big cut in my belly, but I told him no. He said his patients go home the day after- I told him when he had one, we would discuss how long you really needed to stay in the hospital. Dork.
I do feel men still get the better end of the deal when it comes to many things- like better coverage for diseases and better medical care with the insurance companies.
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Yes Janelle, thank you for the reminder. Breast cancer takes too many of our loved ones away from us, so we need to take care of ourselves so we’ll be around longer to see our family and friends grow up.
So many women are so busy taking care of others. This time I also urge you to take care of yourself. {{{hugs}}}
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Very good site and thanks for putting it out there. On the first of the month I made pink ribbons, and I’ve been handing them out ever since. Breast cancer runs very strong in my family, so I’m at high risk. So every year I try to help get the word out how important it is to learn and support breast cancer research and the like. Thank you for helping people be aware! Knowledge is power! God bless everyone who has dealt with cancer by having it or a loved one having it. Those are the strong people I look up to. I even have a tradition called “Month in Pink”. It’s where I wear something pink every single day of October. This is my second successful year and I couldn’t be more proud. :grin1:
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Thank you for the great post, Janelle. My mammogram is scheduled for October 20th. I have one faithfully every year. Two of my neighbors have had breast cancer, one has fought it successfully so far and one is still fighting. She has been on chemo for almost “2′ years. She has a permanent IV shunt in her arm. Her situation is not good.
Everyone out there GET A MAMMOGRAM!!
Thanks for the chuckle :giggle:
Cher
Cher
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Thanks for the reminder Janelle. I’m 36, but I think when I go to my dr in December she will schedule mine this year. I have a benign lump, so she likes to check it ever 2 years to make sure everything is still ok. I know at 40 it’s every year.
I’m putting the Breast Cancer site in my favorites so I can go click each day.
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Thanks for the reminder, Janelle. I’ve taken care of my daily click. I have my mammogram every November.
I have a pink ribbon pin that I wear every day during October. I wear it in honor of my close friend, Annie who has fought breast cancer for the past two years but I really never stopped to consider what it might mean to others. This past weekend I attended the Moonlight & Magnolias conference in Atlanta and at the literacy autographing one of the signing authors thanked me for wearing the pin, telling me she had had a double mastectomy last spring and my support of those battling the disease meant the world to her. You never know whose life you will impact with one small gesture of support.
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A lot of companies have a lot of neat products that a portion or all of the proceeds go to breast cancer charities. Stuff you’d buy anyway…why not go pink?
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As a nurse in the cancer field, I cannot stress the importance of self breast exams and yearly mammograms. What is a little inconvenice to save your life. Just think of it as a great big :hug2: that you can give yourself.
My big hug is in December.
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Thanks, Janelle, for the site and the reminder! All I have to do is look outside my window. My daughter drives the Warriors in Pink Ford Mustang. When we told her we’d get any car she wanted for graduating Summa Cum Laud, she was adamant! THAT’S the car she wanted. I’ll figure out how to add the button to my other blogs. The more the merrier! :flower4you:
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Liza- when they did my baseline at 35, they discovered a lump. The specialist I went to was great and made sure I didn’t panic. He asked me what I thought was a silly question (then) – Did I wear underwire bras on a regular basis? I did- he let me know that with big breasted women, they sometimes caused cysts and had me quit wearing them for 6 months. He checked me every month and the sucker went down and away. So I quit wearing the suckers.
PJ- I do the same thing every October!!
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Since I have several former co-workers and friends that are breast cancer survivors I am big on clicking everyday. It is so simple and takes just a few seconds. Research for all types of cancers should be a high priority. I’ve also bought items from the Breast Cancer Site which helps.
Janelle, I love the two “funnies”, especially the lady with the flat boobs! I never complain about the mammogram as they found “something” one year that was very tiny, luckily it was benign but it made me appreciate those few seconds of being uncomfortable a lot. To those that ignore their own health, don’t you are not doing yourself or your family any favors.
Thanks for reminding everyone that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I bought pink M&M’s!!!
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I’ve had my mammogram this year. Always have one in July especially since my mother died from breast cancer. She not only never had a mamomgram she ignored a lump and since by that time my father had died she did not tell anyone else. I discovered she had it after it was too late for help (I won’t go into gory detail) and all I could do was watch her die.
SO EVERYONE NEEDS TO HAVE A MAMMOGRAM ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE FAMILY YOU CARE ABOUT!!!! SPARE YOUR FAMILY THE HORROR OF WATCHING YOU DIE.
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I have been clicking at The Breast Cancer Site for five years now, and will continue to do so.
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Very good post, today! I clicked.
Picked Up Lucky Charm this weekend. Probably will start it later tonite.
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Thanks for the reminder about Breast Cancer Awareness Month and posting the link to the site. I’ve had it as a favorite for over a year and make sure to click on it.
And I do like the cartoon. It is definitely funny.
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Hey Janelle and the rest of the jungle bunnies…this is a great reminder for us all…I have been putting mammograms out of my mind because it scares me…I am only 34, but my mom had it…she is in remission right now, and I know that others in my family had this disease too…I will see if I could schedule one…the doc recommended that I start getting yearlys when I was 35 yearsold…a 1/2 hour is not so much time when weighed with the outcome…I try to keep up with my own self exams so that I could detect if there are any differences…I haven’t been really consistent lately though…I will need to start that up again…thanx again for the reminder…I loved the funny…it is definitely an interesting thought….hahahha…ttyl…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Great post, Janelle – a very important thing to mention and put in the public eye. I think this – the “Army of Women” is awesome too: http://www.armyofwomen.org/
I actually donated my hair this past weekend – it’s the fourth time I’ve done it. Unfortunately I hate my hair because the stylist *completely ignored* everything I told her about my hair, but… what can you do.