The "In Recognition Of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My wife had just finished reading her latest novel, closed the book, placed it on her snack tray and placed her pink reading glasses on it next to her recliner.  Wasn't more than ten seconds later that "The Gray Lady", one of our two adopted cats, jumped on the tray and grabbed the glasses with her teeth and knocked them to the floor.  

Not sure why she likes those pink glasses, but they always seem to attract her attention.  Maybe because she knows it means so much to her favorite person, my wife Carol.  If you are not aware, pink is the color associated with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and my wife is a  breast cancer survivor.  Stories have appeared in numerous magazines as well as newspapers telling about breast cancer and publishing the facts and tips that deal with the disease.  Some risk factors can't be changed such as having the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, but there are some things that can help lower your risk of breast cancer.  And, I should mention that breast cancer isn't just a female disease, since a male friend of mine had breast cancer when he was in his 40s.  A few tips that can change your risks are: (1) Keep and maintain a healthy weight, (2) If you have a family member who has had breast cancer or if you have inherited the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene (if you don't know if you have one of these two genes, ask your doctor about being tested for it), talk to your doctor as to how often you should be examined, (3) Try, if at all possible, to exercise regularly by using moderate to intense aerobic activity twice a week, (4) Find out about your risks of developing breast cancer if you take hormone-replacement therapy or birth control pills, (5) Limit your alcohol intake to no more than one drink a day, or (6) Breastfeed your children if possible.  A few facts you should know are, (1) The average age when women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States is 61 while the average age for men is between 60 and 79, (2) In the state of Pennsylvania, where my wife and I live, the average number of women who will be diagnosed EACH DAY is 32, (3) In 2018 a man's risk of getting breast cancer is about one in 1,000 as compared with one in 8 for women, (4) Fewer that 15% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a close family member who was diagnosed with breast cancer and for those who have no family connection, breast cancer may be due to genetic mutations, which happen because of age and life in general, (4) More than 3.1 million women in the United States are currently being treated or have recently finished treatment for breast cancer, (5) Over the last decade the risk of getting breast cancer has not changed for women overall, but the risk has increased for black, Asian and Pacific Islander women.  Did you also know that there are 10 stages of severity of breast cancer that have been published by the National Cancer Institute.  If you do have breast cancer, you may not know what stage you may have until after surgery to remove the cancer.  For me to try and list the 10 stages and how and what to expect in those stages would take a huge amount of space.  You can view these stages by looking at: PENNSYLVANIAHEALTHCARECOSTCONTAINMENTCOUNCILAND BREASTCANCER.ORG.   Please take care of yourself as no one will do it for you.  Both my wife and I have had cancer in the past five years.  Several types to be exact.  We do visit our family doctor as well as specialists when necessary.  I wish you the best and don't wait too long before your next doctor's visit.  Be pro-active with your health.  Your life depends upon it!  THINK PINK!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.