Bandwagoners wear pink.
Where’s the real support for breast cancer?
Guest Blog by Brooke Neal for Charlotte Radiology
Until about five years ago, I would’ve described October as an orange month. With Halloween on the brain and pumpkin stands on every corner, not to mention the leaves turning beautiful shades of amber and rust, it was always very clearly an orange month. But today, thanks to the overwhelming growth and widespread recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is now most certainly PINK.
Throughout the month of October, pink ribbons are everywhere. Pinned to blouses and suit jackets. Clinging to storefront windows. Woven into the landscaping of shopping centers and public parks. Many businesses start pedaling “pink” versions of their usuals, from jewelry and socks to cupcakes, coffee and beer. Even the NFL dons pink cleats and sweatbands. (And to further illustrate the magnitude of the cause, I, too, displayed a big pink bow on my mailbox this October—and as mother to three boys, I can assure you this is the first and only time my house has ever seen a bow (much less a pink one).)
While the pink is a commendable rally cry, and the support in October remarkable, it seemingly comes to a grinding halt as soon as the calendar flips to November 1. Where is all the pink the other 11 months of the year? Where is the resounding support for breast cancer awareness?
Breast cancer, after all, doesn’t care what month it is.
Winter, spring, summer and fall, breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women. It’s the second most common form of cancer in women, 365 days a year.
Yet the American Cancer Society now says women should start screening mammograms at age 45 instead of 40—and a government task force continues to recommend an even later start: 50 for screening mammograms—and only every other year. I find these recommendations staggering, when a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes in the United States.
And here’s the kicker: 85% of these women diagnosed have no family history of breast cancer. None.
For those of us younger than 50, the statistics take an even crueler twist: Breast cancer in women younger than 50 tends to be very, very aggressive. According to Charlotte Radiology’s local data [2006 – 2013], 22% of their diagnoses occurred in women ages 40 – 49.
Mammography is the only screening method that has consistently proven to reduce breast cancer deaths. It can detect cancer up to two years before a lump can be felt by you or your doctor. Charlotte Radiology recently reached out to several of who I consider the REAL breast cancer experts: women currently fighting the disease, and a few who’ve made it safely to the other side.
Guess what? A mammogram saved each of their lives. They are—quite literally—living proof that screening saves.
Watch the video interview here.
Insurance providers are still covering annual mammograms. For now. But the hard truth is that coverage could go away if we don’t fight for it. If you agree that women deserve the right to an annual screening mammogram beginning at age 40, sign the petition here.
So it’s now November, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month is officially over. It’s back to business as usual in the NFL, with each player sticking strictly to team colors. Special “pink” javas and brews are no longer on tap. The pink ribbons are slowly disappearing from lapels and store windows. But my pink bow is still on my mailbox. I can’t bring myself to take it down when there’s so much work to do.
Please share the video and sign the petition. Actively support breast cancer awareness!
Because actions speak louder than pink.
