Enough Awareness, It's Time for Action!

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and ashamedly I admit to have neglected my duties for the Army of Women (AOW), and failed to write a breast cancer related post. This is my attempt at making up for it:

At this stage of the game, we are all aware of breast cancer. It is that imminent thing that lies over our heads during our doctor visits, especially as we get older. It is that disease that many women fear. The one that causes us to lose loved ones, and forces us to fight if diagnosed. We are all aware.

That is why the Dr. Susan Love Foundation has suggested to shift the month of October from being a month of awareness to a month of action thereby becoming Breast Cancer Action Month.

This new initiative plays in with the goals of the Love/Avon Army of Women very well. In conjunction with the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, the Love/Avon Army of Women strives to find the causes of breast cancer and ways to prevent it through scientific research.  By recruiting 1 million women (and men) from all walks of life into the Love/Avon Army of Women, they are building a network or community of people who may be eligible (and are encouraged to) participate in the many research studies being conducted by scientists across the United States.

So, how can you 'Act With Love' towards breast cancer? Here are a few simple things you could do:

• Invest yourself by signing up for the Army of Women program, celebrating its four year anniversary and more than 360,000 women strong; and by signing up for the Health of Women Study, a revolutionary online study that women over the age of 18, with or without a history of breast cancer can participate in, so we can identify new risk factors for breast cancer and ways to prevent it.
• Also, invest your friends by either forwarding this post everyone you know and asking them sign up for the Health of Women Study and the Army of Women or being part of their Facebook community.
• And if you feel so inclined, invest your dollars by making a donation or by purchasing products from the AOW partners that chose them because research and ending the disease is a top priority for them. 

To read my previous Army of Women posts, follow the link in the page sidebar, or click here. You can also check the "Army of Women -- Current Breast Cancer Studies" tab at the top of the page for information on current studies that still need volunteers.

**I am an Army of Women (AOW) Supporting Blogger. ** 

Top 10 Things to Do to Prevent Breast Cancer

via

"What can I do to prevent breast cancer?" "What is the best way to find my cancer early, before it has spread?" These are two of the most common questions women have. Here's what we know:

There is nothing that you can do to ensure that you absolutely do not get breast cancer. However, studies suggest that some lifestyle choices may help reduce breast cancer risk.

These include:

1.    Eating a healthy diet that is low in animal fat and high in whole grains and fruits and vegetables. (There is no data indicating that a specific diet, per se, can help reduce breast cancer risk.)
2.    Taking a multivitamin and make sure it includes adequate folic acid.
3.    Having your children before 35, if you have a choice.
4.    Breastfeeding your children.
5.    Avoiding unnecessary X-rays.
6.    Drinking alcohol in moderation and make sure you take folic acid when you do drink.
7.    Losing weight (if you are overweight).
8.    Not gaining weight after menopause.
9.    Getting regular exercise.
10.  Using hormone therapy to treat menopausal symptoms for the shortest time period necessary, if at all.

You should also be sure to:

• Evaluate any breast symptoms or changes that develop.
• Have mammograms when appropriate.
• Consider raloxifene if you are postmenopausal and need to take a drug to prevent bone loss.
• If you have a family history of breast cancer or for other reasons are at high risk of getting breast cancer, visit Army of Women's section for High-Risk Women.

To help AOW learn more about breast cancer prevention, you can:

• Join the Love/Avon Army of Women, revolutionary initiative that is changing the face of breast cancer research. (It's free, and you won't be solicited for anything except your participation in scientific research studies).
• Participate in studies sponsored by the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. 
• Become a breast cancer advocate, and work with us to insure that research on breast cancer prevention is supported and funded.

**I am an Army of Women (AOW) Supporting Blogger. **

It Takes An Army

"Breast cancer is not a man or woman's disease-- it's a family disease"

As an Army of Women (AOW) supporting blogger, I hoped to spread the word about this wonderful organization. Although this blog does not have hundreds of subscribers and tons of sponsors, my blog statistics show that I do get a wide range of visitors residing in various cities and countries around the world. I take that information as a great medium for sharing about AOW.

One of the primary goals of Army of Women is to gain 1 million volunteers to sign up with their organization. As a volunteer, you will be asked to participate in various research studies that all share the common goal of finding a cure for breast cancer. These research studies are not all geared towards those diagnosed with breast cancer. In fact, in order to find a cure, researchers also have to find a cause to prevent further occurrences and to decrease the burden of cancer on hard-hit ethnicities, age groups, and just our mothers, daughters, aunts, co-workers, best friends and husbands in general. {Yes, men ARE affected too}.

I honestly believe that this blog and the blogs of other supporting bloggers can help. As of today, AOW has only reached 1/3 of their goal of reaching an "army" of 1 million volunteers. They still have quite a ways to go. They can either reach their goal by having 1/3 of the US population signing up, or a few hundred thousand US citizens and another few hundred thousand foreign citizens joining to make that quota. The combinations of volunteers signing up to make that quota are endless.

So, if you are from anywhere in the world, and you happen to read, glance over, or browse this blog post, please sign up for the Love/Avon Army of Women.

You can find out more about their organization by reading previous posts here or by visiting their site:
www.armyofwomen.org

I AM Going to Check My Boobs

**1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.**

There are only 5 days left in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But there are still hundreds, even thousands of women being diagnosed with breast cancer and dying from the disease. Infliction does not end. Dying does not end.... not now, at least.

I guess i don't really have much to say in this blog, except... Check yourself . Continue performing breast self- exams and in case you miss anything, continue visiting your doctor regularly because they will check also.

There is no cure for breast cancer, but there is hope for one. ツ

Videos of the Day

In honor of breast cancer awareness month. You should watch both of them... they're great and will put a smile on your face while you're crying. ツ

Scientist

I got into graduate school! The ONLY one that I applied to... To God be the glory! He answered my prayers and allowed the admissions committee to look beyond my GPA and grades and see my real passion and dream for finding a cure or treatment option for cancer patients. The university that I got accepted to is Quinnipiac University. I will be pursing a Masters of Health Science in Biomedical Sciences focusing on immunology and cancer biology (Immunotherapy) with hopes of furthering my education to obtain a PhD. I also have interviews with Englewood Hospital's School of Radiology b/c that was my "back-up" plan for a couple years but my true desire is to do research. I will still be attending that interview though (next week) because I would like the see what it is like to actually be a radiologic technologist and I still want to leave my options open. Afterall, I didn't apply to radiology school for naught. I knew that I wanted to be able to help cancer patients and though I had my mind set on research, I was still relieved to know that there were other career options in which I could help them.