Going Pink Once a Year is not enough
With all of the awareness raised over the last three decades thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen Walk, the Avon Three Day event and countless other breast cancer awareness fundraisers throughout the country and the world, how is it possible that breast cancer is on the rise? Every 69 seconds a woman dies of breast cancer somewhere in the world. A study conducted by Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation showed how breast cancer incidence has risen up to 1.6 million cases in 2010 globally, up 3.1% per year since 1980. Women younger than 50 in developing countries accounted for 23% of global breast cancer deaths; and breast cancer deaths have risen per year from 250,000 in 1980 to 425,000 in 2010. The total breast cancer incidence has steadily risen from 641,000 cases per year in 1980 to 1,643,000 in 2010. And it`s not just women affected by this disease once known as The Big C. Though uncommon, it does happen to men too. This year alone it was approximated that among U.S. men there will be 2,140 new cases of breast cancer and about 450 deaths resulting of the disease.
Pioneers like Nancy G. Brinker, who started the Susan G. Komen foundation in honor of the sister she lost to this disease, have promised to continue to fight the good fight. As a global leader to find a cure the Susan G. Komen foundation contributes heavy investments towards finding a cure. While there have been huge efforts and massive strides made in treatments we are still no closer to finding a cure. The fact is that without a cure 1 in 8 women in the U.S. ALONE will be diagnosed with breast cancer and the estimate mortality rate will surpass 1 million lives lost over the next 25 years. Americans are the largest group of survivors from breast cancer, but there is still an enormous global community of men and women that will benefit from advancing research and treatment options. Don`t wait for October to be `pink`: get involve
d today. Donate your time, money or lend your support the other 334 days out of the year.