2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor: Prevention is key to reducing breast cancer risk
Beth Sheehan
Issue date: 10/31/04 Section: Viewpoint
- Page 1 of 1
Dear Women of the Assumption community:
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it surely is something that we women need to be aware of. Every year I run the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a run to raise money for the cause. Every year I am deeply moved by the Survivor Ceremony they hold before the race starts, and at how many young women are standing on stage at the ceremony. The most important thing for women to remember is that prevention is the key.
While early breast cancer is often missed because it does not cause pain, there are a number of things we can do to help detect any changes in breast health.
Did you know that women age 20 and older should perform a Breast Self Exam every month???? When I have told many of my friends, they had no idea how to even do one! This is so important for prevention, so make sure to do the following steps every month:
Step 1: Lie down on your back with a pillow under your right shoulder. Use the pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand to examine your right breast. Press using light, medium and firm pressure in a circle without lifting your fingers off the skin. Follow an up and down pattern, feeling for changes in your breast, above and below your collarbone and in your armpit. Repeat on your left breast using your right hand.
Step 2: Standing in front of a mirror, look for any changes in the breast in four positions. First holding your arms at your side, then holding your arms over your head, then pressing your hands on your hips and tightening your breast muscles, and lastly bending forward with your hands on your hips.
Warning signs to look out for include: a lump, hard knot, or thickening; swelling, warmth, redness, or darkening; change in size or shape; dimpling or puckering of the skin; itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple; pulling in of the nipple or other parts; or new pain in one spot that does not go away.
You may think that you're too young to worry about breast cancer, but the truth is you're not. Breast cancer is something that all women need to look out for, and almost every survivor that I have spoken with regrets not checking themselves sooner or attributes their recovery to early detection. So please, take care of yourself and pay attention to breast health! If you have any questions or are looking for more information, go to www.komen.org.
(Information provided by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation)
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it surely is something that we women need to be aware of. Every year I run the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a run to raise money for the cause. Every year I am deeply moved by the Survivor Ceremony they hold before the race starts, and at how many young women are standing on stage at the ceremony. The most important thing for women to remember is that prevention is the key.
While early breast cancer is often missed because it does not cause pain, there are a number of things we can do to help detect any changes in breast health.
Did you know that women age 20 and older should perform a Breast Self Exam every month???? When I have told many of my friends, they had no idea how to even do one! This is so important for prevention, so make sure to do the following steps every month:
Step 1: Lie down on your back with a pillow under your right shoulder. Use the pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand to examine your right breast. Press using light, medium and firm pressure in a circle without lifting your fingers off the skin. Follow an up and down pattern, feeling for changes in your breast, above and below your collarbone and in your armpit. Repeat on your left breast using your right hand.
Step 2: Standing in front of a mirror, look for any changes in the breast in four positions. First holding your arms at your side, then holding your arms over your head, then pressing your hands on your hips and tightening your breast muscles, and lastly bending forward with your hands on your hips.
Warning signs to look out for include: a lump, hard knot, or thickening; swelling, warmth, redness, or darkening; change in size or shape; dimpling or puckering of the skin; itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple; pulling in of the nipple or other parts; or new pain in one spot that does not go away.
You may think that you're too young to worry about breast cancer, but the truth is you're not. Breast cancer is something that all women need to look out for, and almost every survivor that I have spoken with regrets not checking themselves sooner or attributes their recovery to early detection. So please, take care of yourself and pay attention to breast health! If you have any questions or are looking for more information, go to www.komen.org.
(Information provided by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation)