Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As everyone who pays attention to anything is aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Pro football players wear pink, they do tons of stuff with Susan G. Komen, PSAs, etc.  But, here's the problem, and it's a doozy.  In 2009, the latest year for data, over 40,000 women died from breast cancer.  If it is caught in stage 1 or stage 0, there are 100% survival rates.  That is, no one dies from breast cancer that is caught early.  Everyone knows about breast cancer, but where are these cases coming from?  Why are people still dying from breast cancer?  There are two answers: first, some people have fast spreading cancer that grows between yearly mammograms; second, the screening rates for women (the majority of breast cancer, although it does occur in males) are about 70%.  This means that 30% of women who should be getting screened for breast cancer are not.  So, instead of these walks, or research, for this month, all the money should go toward getting women screened.  If you know a woman, ages 50-74, tell her to get screened for breast cancer.  This is what will help end deaths.  This is what will eliminate the need for millions of dollars of research.  If we can catch all early stage breast cancer, think of what that the research money can go toward.  It can help increase the odds of end stage breast cancer survival.  Because, right now, there is too much focus on the middle stages.  Stages that should never have happened, because breast cancer is survivable.  So this month, I pledge to help educate.  I pledge to help spread the message, so that every woman is screened.