 | Stephanie M. Thompson, RN, MSN, CBEC, CBCN, CBPN-IC, CFN is the SEK Regional Nurse/Case Manager for Early Detection Works. Kelly York is the SEK Regional Outreach Coordinator. Their office is located at 410 E. Atkinson, Pittsburg, Ks, 66762.To schedule a free breast health presentation, or to determine eligibility for the EDW program, please call the SEK Regional office in Pittsburg at (620) 235-7136. |
Health & Wellness
2011-09-29 15:20:35
What do pink ribbons represent?
Q: This time of year we begin seeing a lot of pink ribbons representing breast cancer awareness. What else is the meaning behind these pink ribbons?
A: The pink ribbons are part of a campaign to raise breast cancer awareness. October is nationally recognized as “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” which means a lot of television and radio media coverage for awareness events, magazines spotlighting celebrities whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. A portion of the profits from the sale of ribbons goes to breast cancer research organizations.
Imagine each of the pink ribbons representing someone you know or love. According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Approximately 200,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year and 40,000 of these women will tragically succumb to this disease. Men get breast cancer as well. According to Komen statistics, 1300 men will be diagnosed and about 400 of them will die of the disease in a given year.
Awareness of the disease is important, but knowledge is key. While the causes of breast cancer are not fully known, there are some risks that can be controlled and others that can’t. Men and women alike need to know their risk factors for developing this disease.
For instance, the number one risk for a woman is simply being female and second is the fact that the older you get, the greater your risk. Both men and women are at increased risk if they have a family member with breast cancer that has an inherited BRCA2 mutation. For more risk factors, please visit www.komen.org
You can reduce your risk by maintaining a healthy weight, exercise regularly, and limit your alcohol intake. Most importantly, all women should be practicing monthly self breast awareness and having annual clinical breast exams. At age 40, women should also begin having annual mammograms.
Do pink ribbons save lives? No, but the awareness and education factor they inspire could be one of the reasons that statistics are showing an increase in the amount of women being screened annually, and that the mortality rate is slowly decreasing because women are being diagnosed at an earlier, more treatable stage of the disease.
