Tag Archives: Breast Cancer

Do you know the risk factors for breast cancer?

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By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat


Many women come into the ER with chest pain, and they never thought they would be in that situation. But most heart attacks are preventable, and we need to be more active in telling women what they can do to avoid a heart attack.


The same is true with breast cancer—the more we know about preventing breast cancer, the more women we can help avoid being diagnosed with the disease.


Although breast cancer is far too common, breast cancer survival is improving due to more advanced treatments and early screening for women at high risk.


Do you know your risk, and do you have a plan for when you should be screened? If I asked you if you want to get breast cancer, of course you would answer with an emphatic, “No!” If you don’t want cancer, then you must know your risks, live a lifestyle that decreases your risk, and take your checkups seriously.


Several years ago, I read a story about a young woman who had metastatic breast cancer, and the article described her situation in detail.


There was a picture that showed her being comforted by her sister, who also had breast cancer five years earlier. Both women talked about their mother who had died of the same disease in her mid-40s.


As I read the story, I felt both sad and mad at the same time. Of course, I felt sad for them for all they had gone through, but I was also mad to think their cancer could have been prevented, or at least detected before it spread.


Here’s what I wish they would have known about the genetics of breast cancer:

  • Ten percent of breast cancer is associated with family history.
  • The risk of getting breast cancer increases two times if one first-degree relative has/had breast cancer.
  • The risk of getting breast cancer increases three times if two first-degree relatives have/had breast cancer.

In addition, 50 percent of breast cancer diagnoses are associated with known risk factors.


A patient I’ll call Kelly came to see me for a routine visit recently. In taking her history, several factors caught my attention: she was 48 years old and had never been pregnant; her mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 49; and she had regular mammograms that were always negative, but her breasts were very dense, decreasing the likelihood of diagnosis of a small cancer.


I recommended advanced screening with a special mammogram and ultrasound by a breast surgeon.


When she had the testing done, they detected several suspicious areas, and a biopsy showed pre-cancer. Kelly decided to have definitive surgery, and when she had a bilateral mastectomy, they detected early, almost-invasive cancer.


We were able to avoid invasive cancer by doing three things: 1) being proactive; 2) knowing her individual risk factors; and 3) acting early to save her from worrying about recurrence, and having to go through chemotherapy or radiation.


The lifetime risk of breast cancer for most women is 1 in 8. The risk at age 30 is 1 in 250 and increases as you get older. Other risk factors include being female, white and obese (having a BMI over 30). The risk is even greater if the weight is gained after the age of 40 and is in the form of belly fat (especially after menopause). In addition, your risk is greatest if you are diabetic and overweight.


So, what can you do to lower your risk of breast cancer? For starters, lifestyle matters:

  • Women who consume 10 or more alcoholic drinks per week have a higher risk for cancer of the colon and breast.
  • Women who started smoking early and have smoked for a long time are at higher risk.
  • Women who breastfed their children and are physically active have a lower risk.

Two other risk factors that may not be in your control include the following:

  • Women who work the night shift seem to experience more cancer, according to several large studies.
  • Women who received radiation for Hodgkins Lymphoma as a child have an increased risk of breast cancer.

If you have any of these high risk factors, get screening early and talk to your doctor about special screening with a Tomo mammogram or adding an ultrasound to your routine mammogram.


I had a patient who put off her mammogram because she had small breasts and thought she would easily be able to see any lumps, plus she had no family history of breast cancer. When her friend finally convinced her to get a mammogram, it showed she had breast cancer.


I’ve given you plenty of statistics and information about breast cancer in this blog, but there are a few takeaway points I want to make sure you remember:

  • Know your individual risk factors.
  • If you are at higher risk, talk to your doctor about special testing.
  • Be active! Exercise a minimum of 150 minutes per week.
  • Do not gain weight over 40—stay off the sugar.
  • Don’t drink more than ten drinks a week.
  • Don’t be afraid of mammograms—get tested!

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Low-fat diet—a tool in breast cancer fight?

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Researchers found that women following a low-fat diet reduced their overall calories, changed their cooking methods and reduced portion sizes of meat and dairy products. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay


Health experts have long touted the benefits of a low-fat diet for preventing heart disease, but now a large study suggests it might do the same against breast cancer.


Researchers found that eating low-fat foods reduced a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer by 21%. What’s more, the women on low-fat diets also cut their risk of dying from any cause by 15%.


“This is the only study providing randomized controlled trial evidence that a dietary intervention can reduce women’s risk of death from breast cancer,” said study author Dr. Rowan Chlebowski.


He is from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif.


Diet has long been suspected to be a factor in cancer.


Obesity has been linked to 12 different types of cancers, including postmenopausal breast cancer, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. And, a diet full of healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes is thought to help protect against cancer.


Chlebowski noted that previous studies have shown a higher cancer incidence in countries where people tend to eat more fat.


The latest study looked at the effect a low-fat diet might have on the incidence of breast cancer and death.


Nearly 49,000 postmenopausal women from 40 centers across the United States were included in the study. The women were between the ages of 50 and 79 and had no history of previous breast cancer.


Eighty percent of the women were white, which Chlebowski said matched the population when the study began.


Between 1993 and 1998, the women were randomly assigned to one of two dietary groups. One group was assigned to a normal diet. This diet had about 32% of their calories from fat. The low-fat group had a target of 20% or less of calories from fat.


Chlebowski said the low-fat diet was close in content to the Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension diet, or DASH diet. This emphasizes eating vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, while avoiding high-fat meats and dairy products, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.


The low-fat group lost a modest amount of weight. Chlebowski said there was about a 3% difference in weight between the groups. He said the researchers factored the weight difference into their calculations and that weight alone didn’t affect the risk of death.


Women in the low-fat group adhered to the diet for about 8.5 years and both groups were followed for an average of nearly 20 years.


The women in the low-fat group weren’t able to achieve the 20%-or-less target for fat, but they did manage around 25%, according to the researchers. And they did increase their intake of fruits, vegetables and grains.


“The diet was more moderate than originally planned. But we saw a diet of 25% to 27% fat is largely achievable,” Chlebowski said.


He said the researchers don’t know if any individual components of the diet were more important than others, but they hope further study will tease that out.


In the meantime, Chlebowski said he thinks the message should be one of dietary moderation rather than looking for any one particular food or food group.


He said the women in the low-fat study group reduced their overall calories, changed their cooking methods and reduced their portions of meat and dairy products.


The findings are to be presented soon at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. Findings presented at meetings are typically viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.


ASCO breast cancer expert Dr. Lidia Schapira, from Stanford University, noted that this study shows “what we put on the plate matters. It’s worth coaching and pushing patients to put more fruits and vegetables on their plates.”


She added that even when women didn’t reach the more stringent dietary fat goal of 20%, they still showed a health advantage from trying to reduce the fat in their diets.


Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, president of ASCO, said these findings were “really, really striking.”


She noted, “This was not an incredibly restrictive diet. People were able to adhere to it pretty well.”


And yet, the incidence of breast cancer went down by 8% in the women on low-fat diets.


“They were getting fewer breast cancers and even when they did get breast cancer, their death rate was reduced,” Bertagnolli said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


‘Beauty in the battle’

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By Marie Havenga, Spectrum Health Beat

 

Photos by Chris Clark

 

In 2013, after a five-year battle, Emmy Rickert lost her Aunt Jodi to breast cancer.

 

Two weeks later, at age 24, Rickert began fighting the same battle.

 

Rickert was still grieving the loss of her mom, who died of a brain aneurysm just two years prior. Seven months before her mom passed away, Emmy’s dad endured a heart transplant.

 

Two weeks after Aunt Jodi died, while Emmy worked as a legislative aide for a state senator in Lansing, Michigan, she felt a bruised area on her chest.

 

“I felt deeper and felt a lump,” Emmy said. “I was an active 24-year-old who exercised regularly. I wondered if I pulled a muscle or dropped something on it.”

 

Rickert visited her OB-GYN in Lansing.

 

“She said, ‘You’re 24, it’s probably nothing,” Rickert said. “’Let’s check back in a month.’”

 

Still tender from the loss of her aunt, she wanted to be sure. She pushed.

 

“I really credit my aunt with my life,” Rickert said. “I tell people to be their own health advocate, I really had to push my OB to get it checked further. I didn’t feel comfortable having just lost my aunt.”

 

Rickert talked her doctor into ordering an ultrasound.

 

“I remember going in thinking ‘whatever journey I’m about to start, help me to be strong enough for it,’” Rickert said. “I just didn’t have a good feeling about it.”

Cancer at 24

Shortly after the Friday morning ultrasound began, the technician stepped out and brought the radiologist in. He immediately ordered a core biopsy.

 

On Monday, while at her desk at work, she got the results.

 

“The radiologist called me and told me I had breast cancer,” Rickert said. “He seemed quite shaken. He said, ‘I’ve never had to call a 24-year-old to tell them they have breast cancer.”

I remembered back to when I was a child. Whenever I was sick and had to take medicine, (my mom would) say, ‘Alright, I’m sending the soldiers in to kill the bad guys.’ Every time I watched the chemo flow into my body, I thought of my mom and felt her there. I thought, ‘We’re sending the good guys in to kill the bad guys.’

Emmy Rickert
Breast cancer survivor

The words rang in her ears. Just like in the movies. But this wasn’t fantasy. Instead, earth-shattering reality.

 

Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

“My ears started ringing after I heard the word ‘cancer,’” she said. “I didn’t hear anything after. My world was spinning at that point. I didn’t understand why this was happening. I hadn’t prepared myself for those words ‘you have cancer.’ I don’t know if anyone can prepare themselves for that.”

 

Rickert’s mind whirled. She feared not only for her life, but she feared how she would tell her family about the diagnosis. They had already lost so much. So fast.

 

Right then, right there, she vowed to have the most optimistic and positive attitude possible.

 

“Having seen my family go through so much, I knew that was the answer,” she said.

Sharing the diagnosis with family

Rickert picked up her younger sister from Central Michigan University. They drove to their family home in Hersey, Michigan, near Reed City.

 

“I told them, ‘Listen, this is what’s going on,’” Rickert said. “I don’t know the specifics yet, but I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. I’m going to fight it and I’m not scared. I don’t want you to be, either.”

 

She soon learned the specifics. They weren’t comforting.

 

She had triple negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form of breast cancer. She needed surgery right away.

 

Because her young age and triple negative diagnosis threw up red flags, she underwent a mastectomy on her left breast.

 

“They came out and told me it had grown an entire centimeter in the two weeks from the ultrasound to surgery,” Rickert said. “But it had not spread to my lymph nodes yet. They said if I had waited even a matter of weeks, it would be a different story.”

 

Further testing revealed Rickert carries the BRCA2 gene mutation.

 

Following surgery, Rickert wanted to go home. Home to Hersey. Home to family. Home to friends.

 

Knowing there was a new Spectrum Health cancer center in Reed City—the Susan P. Wheatlake Regional Cancer Center, one of six Spectrum Health cancer centers, she teamed up with a Spectrum Health oncologist to fight the foe.

She always wanted to be a mom

But the recommended chemotherapy carried a risk she wasn’t willing to take—infertility.

 

“The No. 1 fear for me was not losing my hair or being sick during chemo, or even death,” she said. “It was not being a mother. Being a mother has always been my dream.”

 

She went to a fertility specialist in Grand Rapids, and froze her eggs before commencing chemotherapy.

 

That decision helped instill a deep resolve. Commitment deepened. She would win this fight. She had to win this fight. For her unborn children.

 

“That gave me so much hope,” Rickert said. “It gave me the gumption and will to say, ‘I’m going to be a mother now no matter what the fertility outcome is after chemo. That means I need to survive this because I’m going to be a mom.’ I went into it with a suit of armor, with hope and peace.”

 

Courtesy Emmy Rickert

Only after her eggs were frozen and safely tucked away did she begin chemotherapy. She felt fear as she watched the liquid drip into her veins.

 

But she also felt a presence. A presence she missed so very much. Her mom.

 

“Along this whole journey, I could really feel my mom there,” Rickert said. “I remembered back to when I was a child. Whenever I was sick and had to take medicine, she’d say, ‘Alright, I’m sending the soldiers in to kill the bad guys.’ Every time I watched the chemo flow into my body, I thought of my mom and felt her there. I thought, ‘We’re sending the good guys in to kill the bad guys.’ I think that outlook really made a difference for me.”

 

Unfortunately, chemotherapy made her sick. Very sick. Aunt Jodi did well through chemotherapy. Not so for her niece.

 

“I was in bed for weeks at a time,” Rickert said. “My dad and little sister would help me to the bathroom. But I was glad it was kicking my butt because I thought it might be kicking cancer’s butt as well.”

‘So much gratitude’

She’s grateful she made the decision to return home.

 

“Being close to my family and having that support system, being in my hometown and being at Spectrum also made a difference for me,” she said. “I had so many people rooting for me and lifting me up daily. There wasn’t time to feel down. I constantly was uplifted by my doctors and my townspeople, my family and friends.”

 

After she recovered from chemotherapy, Rickert decided she didn’t want to ever live through the same nightmare. She proactively had her right breast removed.

 

A year later, she married.

 

She and her husband, Kelly, conceived naturally. Their daughter, Grace, entered their lives on May 15, 2015.

 

“I can’t even begin to describe the joy we felt,” Rickert said. “I started to enjoy living. I felt so much gratitude that I survived. Seeing that miracle reminded me even more how precious and fragile life was.”

 

Having survived her own battle, she turned her energy outward.

 

“I started to do as many speaking engagements as I could, trying to help as many people diagnosed, or battling cancer, as I could,” she said. “I had gone through this for a reason, and that was to be a bright light for anyone going through this. I felt so driven to let people know there is life after cancer.”

 

And for the Rickert family, yet another life. Their son, Huck, was born in 2016.

 

Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

The children were her light at the end of the tunnel, rainbows at the end of her storm. She calls them her little rainbow children.

 

But she knows storms can return. That’s why she’s not taking a single moment for granted. None of them.

 

“I know my cancer could return or something else could happen,” Rickert said. “Life is so precious, miraculous and fragile. I’m constantly being in the moment with my family. I’m helping others see that there is life past cancer and there is beauty in the battle because it makes you so much more aware of the fragility of life and the beauty of life.”

 

Judy Smith, MD, chief of the Spectrum Health Cancer Center, said Emmy is an inspiration to all who know her or her story.

 

“Her courage and optimism in the face of adversity takes my breath away,” Dr. Smith said. “She is one in a long line of strong women who proudly carry on the legacy of Betty Ford with her candor, willingness to publicly speak of her personal journey, promote screening and early detection and, most of all, help all women take charge of their own destiny.”

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

‘When she’s happy, I’m happy’

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By Sue Thoms, Spectrum Health Beat

Photos by Taylor Ballek, Spectrum Health Beat

 

Alyssa D’Agostino can endure a lot: a battle against breast cancer, then leukemia, then a relapse of leukemia.

 

But when she realized she would not be home for her daughter Gianna’s ninth birthday—that drove her to tears.

 

“We have to do something.”

 

Katie Celentino heard that message over and over again from staff members at the bone marrow transplant unit at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, touched by D’Agostino’s sorrow.

 

And so they did. In 24 hours, they pulled together a purple unicorn party that left Gianna nearly speechless.

 

The little girl burst into the staff room for the party with a big “Oh!” as she whirled around, taking in the birthday banner, a unicorn drawing on the whiteboard, party hats and a table brimming with colorfully wrapped presents. Nurses and nurse technicians greeted her with a lively round of “Happy Birthday!”

 

D’Agostino sat beside her daughter, eyes sparkling above her yellow face mask. She wore her party attire, a green tinted wig and a headband decorated with a silver unicorn horn and peach flowers.

 

“This is so amazing,” she said. “I’m blown away big-time.”

 

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, D’Agostino underwent surgery and chemotherapy and emerged a survivor.

 

Photo by Taylor Ballek, Spectrum Health Beat

In July 2017, she learned she had acute myeloid leukemia. It went into remission, but resurfaced in April 2018. Again, she was hospitalized as she began chemotherapy treatments.

 

In late August, she went to Butterworth Hospital, with plans to get the disease back into remission so she could undergo a bone marrow transplant.

 

Five straight months in a hospital: That has been her spring, summer and autumn.

 

She hoped she would be home for Gianna’s birthday. She had gifts and planned a surprise celebration with family. When she learned that would not happen, she said, “I was devastated.”

And then, she learned a party was in the works on the fifth floor of Butterworth Hospital.

 

Celentino, the nurse manager, said staff members eagerly joined together to make the day special. Nurses came in on their day off or stayed after their shifts ended. Nurse technician Courtney Fend used her artistic skills to create a birthday banner and unicorn drawing.

 

Sharing Gianna’s big day was deeply rewarding for the staff, Celentino said.

 

“We don’t always get to see these moments,” she said. “These are the things that matter to our patients. This is why they matter to us.”

A gift of happiness

Photo by Taylor Ballek, Spectrum Health Beat

Gianna, a third-grader at Chandler Woods Charter Academy in Belmont, Michigan, came to the party with her grandmother, Alice D’Agostino. She wore her Halloween costume—a purple and black outfit with a purple wig. She dressed as Mal from the Disney movie Descendants.

 

Her mom’s gift made the outfit complete. She gave Gianna a pair of black boots, just like Mal’s.

 

Gianna bubbled with enthusiasm as she opened her gifts: sparkly pencils and coloring books, fluffy unicorn pajamas, card games, glittery nail polish, hair chalk, a jewelry box and a kit for making her own jewelry.

 

She thanked everyone and went around the room giving hugs.

 

Gianna then sat beside her mom and they wrapped their arms around each other.

 

D’Agostino said the celebration exceeded all her expectations. And seeing her daughter’s happiness was a gift in itself.

 

“I just loved seeing her face light up,” she said. “When she’s happy, I’m happy. Doing something special for her just makes me feel good.”

Mammograms: What to Know Before You Go

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By Amanda Avella, AmeriCorps Member at Cherry Street Health Center

 

What do I need to know about mammograms?

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, but thanks to improved treatment and detection methods the survival rate has grown to over 90%. Mammograms should be performed every year once you are forty years old. Below is what you need to know before you go in for your screening.

 

What should I do to prepare for my appointment?

  • You will be asked to remove your shirt, so you may want to wear a skirt or pants and not a dress.
  • Do not wear deodorant or perfume. These often contain chemicals that can make the images unclear.
  • To reduce discomfort, schedule your mammogram at a time you know your breasts won’t be tender or swollen.

What should I expect at my appointment?

  • Your breasts will be x-rayed using a special machine specifically designed for mammograms. To get the clearest image possible your breasts will be compressed. This will likely cause some discomfort.
  • Appointments take about twenty minutes, but the actual mammogram is only a few seconds.
  • Let the technician know if you have been experiencing any breast changes or problems.
  • You will be contacted with the results of your mammogram within ten days. If you don’t receive a call back do not assume that your results were normal. Make sure to follow up with your doctor if they do not follow-up with you.

What if I don’t have health insurance?

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Navigation Program (BCCCNP) assists patients in paying for mammograms. BCCCNP has provided services for more than 5.2 million people since the start of the program. In 2015 alone, BCCCNP served 301,732 people.

 

What if other questions come up?

Please contact Jackie Demull, Women’s Cancer Screening Program Coordinator, at 616.965.8200 ext. 7099 or Zenaida Carcini, Clerical Assistant, at 616.965.8200 ext. 7373.

 

Reprinted with permission from Cherry Health.

Blessings in a Diagnosis

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janice_limbaughThis post is publishing much later than I had planned. But as planning goes, you can always count on it changing. And often the change in plans is not what you necessary would have wanted. Case in point: me.

 

I found out in mid- July that I have breast cancer. It was an Oh-no-this-can’t-be-possible-moment: ‘Not fair! My husband died from cancer; my sons already went through this hell! I’m in a new relationship! I’ve got plans! I’m going on vacation! Noooooo!’

 

It’s true what you hear people say about the moment they learn they have cancer. Your mind freezes. Your body goes numb. The intensity of the words shock your entire being. And then you ask quietly to yourself, “Why me?”

 

After a moment of silence I answered, “Why not?”

 

At my age I’ve learned one thing for sure:  Life does not go according to plan and life is not always fair.

 

On how to deal with these ‘Givens of Life’ and others, I recommend reading David Richo’s “The Five Things We Cannot Change…and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them.”

Round four out of six chemo treatments. Every treatment has different affects on my body. I'm told that's 'normal'.
Round four out of six chemo treatments. Every treatment has different affects on my body. I’m told that’s ‘normal’.

 

Since mid-July more than ever in my lifetime, I’ve discovered there is happiness and blessings to be found when the routine world takes a nose dive. You and I just have to be open to receiving these gifts. What may stop us, and has stopped me many times before, is fear and panic and the sense of losing control of daily living. It can be crippling, unproductive, and well, unhealthy!

 

Remember the saying Let go and let God? Taking on unwanted challenges is a lot like that: freefalling on faith. It may not be easy at first because we are so hard wired to react with panic and fear when our plans get tossed. We are, after all, control freaks and when stuff like this happens it’s a slap in the face.

 

When it does don’t forget to breathe. Next take as much time as necessary to process the new challenge. Then prepare a willing heart and mind. For me, focusing on accepting the grace of God was just the attitude adjustment I needed.

 

In October, I was returning a book I borrowed from the Lemen-Holton Resource Center when the receptionist asked me if I had breast cancer. I answered correctly because she said, “Wait right here I have something for you!”

 

The puzzled look on my face prompted her to continue, “It’s a gift from Amber and her sister. They did this for all women affected by breast cancer.”

 

“Who’s Amber?” I asked.

 

“A former patient of ours,” she replied as she poked around behind a partition looking for my special gift. I wondered ‘What could it be?  A hat most likely…’

 

As if the receptionist, Nina, was reading my mind, she suddenly appeared from around the partition with a huge plastic bag. Whatever was inside, was bigger than a hat!

 

“What is this?” I gasped.

A basket filled with loving-kindness and best wishes.
A basket filled with loving-kindness and best wishes.

 

“I told you – a special gift from Amber and her sister. Wait to get home to open it,” she advised. “There’s a lot in there and you’ll be amazed!”

 

I was stunned. When I urged Nina to give me Amber’s contact information so I could thank her, Nina paused and her face softened. “She died last month. This was a project she started to support other women going through breast cancer. Just consider yourself blessed!”

 

I got goosebumps but not because it was scary or creepy but because I felt like I was being given a huge heavenly hug from Amber herself.

Colorful laminated Bible verses for those moments when I need them most.
Colorful laminated Bible verses for those moments when I need them most.

 

Nina and I hugged and cried. She told me Amber’s organization is called Crowns of Blessings and they have a Facebook page. I would definitely friend them, message them, and find out what I could about this amazing woman.

The personalized envelope contained a handmade card.
The personalized envelope contained a handmade card.

 

For the rest of that day and the days following, my journey is changed. It’s not any easier but it is special in almost a sacred way. Amber touched my life when I needed it most. ‘I can do that for someone too,’ I thought.

Handmade with care and prayers!
Handmade with care and prayers!

 

Meanwhile at home, I opened my gift and just about everything in it was handmade. It contained a quilted throw, laminated prayer cards, a precious prayer rock (with a poem attached), a beautifully homemade card that begins,”Dear Friend…,”  (this made me cry), and several little person items that a woman going through breast cancer would appreciate.

Powerful words.
Powerful words.

 

Thank you Amber (and your sister!) for your kind and generous thoughts and actions. You chose to take positive action at a time when your life plans didn’t go your way. Perhaps that’s the result of  freefalling on faith. Whatever the reason, you are the inspiration for my cancer journey now!

Amber and her sister know what it means to Pay It Forward.
Amber and her sister know what it means to Pay It Forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Share your story

I invite readers to share stories you may have of surprise blessings during scary times. Together we can help each other even as strangers to overcome the unwanted challenges we face in life. Email me at: janice@wktv.org

 

In the meantime, I will post helpful links to resources that I’ve discovered on my journey that may help you or someone you know. After all, we’re all in this together!

 

If you or anyone you know has been diagnosed with cancer of any type, may I recommend checking out Kris Carr’s book, “Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips” or  “Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor”.  Her humor, wit and sass will tell you, you are a Survivor from Day One! Learn more about her story at: http://bit.ly/1q9voFQ

Breast Cancer Awareness

Non-Profits,

American Cancer Society Fights to End Breast Cancer

OnPink ribbon cancere in every two women newly diagnosed with breast cancer reaches out to the Society for help

by Evelyn Barella

Did you know that  an estimated 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the U.S. in 2013 – including 8,140 Michigan women or 28 women in the state every day?

 

The American Cancer Society offers help and support to those diagnosed with breast cancer and their loved ones 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  In fact, one out of every two women turns to the Society for help and support following their breast cancer diagnosis.

 

“The American Cancer Society encourages all women to put their health first. We want women to understand the benefits of eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol intake, and the effect those healthy habits can have on lowering their cancer risk,” said Jenni Beamer, American Cancer Society senior manager, community events for Greater Michigan.

 

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in women, second only to lung cancer.  The Society reminds women 40 and older to have a yearly mammogram and clinical breast exam. Women ages 20 to 39 should receive a clinical breast exam at least once every three years. The American Cancer Society offers a Michigan Mammography Facility Guide that compares services, price and other information to help women choose the mammography facility best suited for them. The Michigan Mammography Facility Guide is available for free online at cancer.org/michiganmammogram. Continue reading Breast Cancer Awareness →