Check Yourself (Before You Wreck Yourself): Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Some issues that we work on are particular to Jews. Some are particular to Americans, or Canadians, or Europeans, or Africans. Some are particular to people from a certain racial group, or socioeconomic class, or geographic region. Breast cancer is not one of these issues.

Breast cancer affects people (not just women!) from all walks of life in startling numbers. In 2011, almost 300,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women and more than 2,000 were diagnosed in men. One in eight women develops invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. For women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer other than skin cancer, and breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer besides lung cancer.

While there are some medical solutions to breast cancer, our best chance at combating the problem is with prevention. That is why the WRJ has put together a complimentary shower card explaining how to perform self-breast examinations, a crucial element in identifying problems before they escalate. And that is why October has been deemed Breast Cancer Awareness Month – so that young people across the country can access the tools and information they need to take full advantage of the plethora of preventative services and procedures available.