October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The leaves are changing, the air feels a bit more crisp...you know what time it is? Time to schedule your mammogram.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Did you know that THIS YEAR over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer? And its not just our mothers or grandmothers anymore...more and more younger women (as young as 19!) are being diagnosed than ever. In fact one out of eight women in this country will be diagnosed with breast cancer. One out of eight!

The good news is that October is a chance to remind us that there is hope. Today more than 7 out of 10 women with breast cancer are surviving--30 years ago that number was around 4 or 5. Thanks to organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, over $100 million dollars will be donated this year to programs dedicated to research and new treatments in an effort to fast track a cure for patients who can't wait.

Want to know what you can do?

• If you or your sister, mother, or best-friend is a woman over 40 schedule a mammogram right now if you haven't gotten one this year--or remind her to.


• Don't forget to perform your monthly self-exam and tell your doctor if you notice anything different
  
• Make a promise to yourself to start living healthier. If you smoke, quit. If you don't currently excercise, now is the time to start. Include lots of dark green vegetables in your diet and cut-out the junk
  
• MEN Did you know that nearly 2000 of you will get breast cancer this year? Breast cancer does not discriminate. Tell your doctor if you notice anything out of the ordinary.


• When you see those cutesy little pink ribbons or labels on items in the store--if its something you would buy anyway, buy the pink one. Proceeds from those items helped doctors develop the latest treatments--such as Tamoxifen which may help prevent breast cancer in certain women at high risk.

The Smith Group is a family owned and operated company who cares about YOUR family and your health. October is the time to celebrate those who have survived, and to remember how precious the women in our lives are.