The Importance of Friendship
January 28, 2011
How to be there, and be yourself when a friend or loved one is diagnosed
We are each of us angels with only one wing.
And we can only fly embracing each other.
~ Luciano de Crescenzo
Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and one in eight women will be diagnosed in her lifetime. That means virtually every woman will be touched by breast cancer at some point in her life. Whether you, your mother, sister or friend is diagnosed, you are part of the fight against this deadly disease and the support you provide to a friend or loved one can often prove to be crucial to their recovery.
In a 2006 Journal of Clinical Oncology study that followed 2,800 female participants, women who reported a strong support circle and felt they could rely on friends and family were twice as likely to survive their diagnosis as women who felt socially isolated.
“Social-emotional support, often provided by a confidant, may reduce stress and . . . might improve [protection] against cancer recurrence,” the lead author of the study, Candyce H. Kroenke, a researcher at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, wrote. “Investigators have suggested that social-emotional support may be more critical than instrumental [medical] support for breast cancer survival.”
What do you say?
Often when a woman learns that someone she knows is battling breast cancer; she struggles with how to respond. “How should I act?” she thinks, or “What can I possibly say?” The fact is that a breast cancer diagnosis is scary. Family members, spouses/partners, friends and other loved ones often feel the same emotions as the person diagnosed: fear, shock, anger, and sadness.
The best way to react to a friend, relative or coworker who you know has breast cancer is to be yourself! Every woman reacts to her diagnosis differently, so the best thing you can do is be present, be there for her, and always be available to listen, to laugh, to cry and encourage – just as you always would.
How can you help?
Breast cancer doesn’t care who you are or how busy your life is. When it strikes, often families become overwhelmed by all the “things” that still need to be done. Kids still need to be picked up from school. Lawns still need to be mowed, and families still need to eat.
In addition to emotional support, sometimes the best way to support a loved one in their fight against breast cancer is to create an informal network with other friends and relatives to take turns pitching in with things like grocery shopping, babysitting, being there for appointments and other activities that can alleviate the day-to-day stress, allowing her to focus on her fight.
Here are four things to remember (excerpted from rethinkbreastcancer.com):
- Be There – Ask what you can do to help and provide moral support. Offer to help with daily chores and activities or go to medical appointments to help record important information.
- Know Her Type – There are many different types of breast cancer and it is important for a woman to find out her type of breast cancer at diagnosis. Together, ask about the tests that are available to identify her type of breast cancer, as some types, such as ‘HER2-positive’ breast cancer, require individualized treatment.
- Ask Questions – Support her in asking questions so she knows more about her treatment, what to expect, how long it will take, side effects, etc.
- Empower Yourselves – Help her learn as much as she can because information is power. Do research together and make sure you both learn the terminology. Take advantage of the information available from the different breast cancer organizations.
Supporting a loved one in their fight against breast cancer will help her tremendously. Even the smallest gestures can have a big impact. Breast cancer is tough, but women are tougher, and every diagnosis is a reminder of how critical it is to stand together in the battle to eradicate this deadly disease.
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Written by: Kristen Bennett
Press Release: WBHI Takes to the Streets to Promote Early Cancer Detection, Breast Health Awareness
January 24, 2011
Breast Cancer Door to Door Outreach Offers Free Mammograms to Uninsured Women
January 24, 2011 (Miami, Florida) – The Women’s Breast Health Initiative (WBHI) will be taking its mission of promoting early detection and awareness to the streets again for the 2011 February Outreach Campaign Saturday mornings on February 5, February 12, and February 19. WBHI volunteers will knock on the doors of over 1,400 households in the City of Miami to save lives. At the end of the door-to-door outreach, WBHI will culminate the program on February 26 with a visit from a mobile mammography van providing free mammograms to pre-qualified women right in their own neighborhood.
This year, WBHI will be targeting the City of Miami’s District 4, in collaboration with Commissioner Francis Suarez. Commissioner Suarez has worked tirelessly to serve the district and believes strongly in our mission to provide women with the appropriate awareness, education and screening, regardless of their financial means.
“We believe that the work Andrea and the WBHI are doing is extremely positive for District 4,” says Commissioner Suarez. “We are happy to support the organization, and know that their work will have a positive impact on the citizens in our neighborhoods.”
Andrea Ivory, internationally recognized 2009 Top Ten CNN Hero, breast cancer survivor, and founder of WBHI knows that early detection saves lives, because it saved hers. She founded WBHI, the premiere source of free door to door breast health awareness, education and screening to the uninsured and underserved in South Florida. “Breast cancer kills our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, family and friends. ALL women are at risk for breast cancer. Although early detection saves lives, not all women have access and awareness;” states Andrea, “That’s what we’re out there to do.”
WBHI believes that all women have the right to benefit from the early detection of breast cancer regardless of their ability to pay, and fights breast cancer as a life threatening disease, one household at a time. Since 2006 WBHI has knocked on more than 30,000 doors to save lives in South Florida.
Jackson Health System supports the efforts of WBHI by collaborating to provide our participants with free screening.
Who: The Women’s Breast Health Initiative
What: Door to door campaign offering free breast health awareness, education and
mammograms to the uninsured and underserved.
Where: City of Miami, Florida 33125
When: February 5, 12, 19 – Starting – 8:30AM
Contact: Andrea Ivory, Founder, Women’s Breast Health Initiative 866–315–7711
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Written by: Kristen Bennett
Want to lower your risk for breast cancer? Get moving!
January 20, 2011
Being active is one of the best things you can do to improve overall health
Another new year, another resolution, right? “Exercise more” is one of the top five resolutions made in the U.S., but unfortunately many people find they’ve already fallen off track by mid-January. Well, if you haven’t been as active as you’d like so far in 2011, just remember: every day is a new opportunity to resolve to get healthy, and what better resolution to make than doing what you can to reduce your risk of developing cancer.
This year, commit to being active. There are so many health benefits associated with physical activity. First and foremost, being active makes us feel good – inside and out! It’s one of the few things you can do to really take control over your health, and lower your risk of breast cancer. Also, for survivors, exercising lowers your chances for a recurrence, increases life expectancy and improves day-to-day well-being.
Findings from the Collaborative Women’s Longevity Study showed that breast cancer survivors who got roughly three to nine hours of walking a week had a 35 to 40 percent lower risk of recurrence compared to survivors who were less active. The study followed nearly 4,500 breast cancer survivors for more than five years. Survivors who got roughly one to two hours of brisk walking a week had a 40 percent lower risk of death compared to less active survivors. The bottom line is that activity equal to a 30-minute brisk walk several times a week improved survival. Women who got more activity got more benefit!
Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight, and lowers your risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes. Adding even a little activity to your day will improve your health and protect against breast cancer.
How does it help?
There are several ways in which physical activity can help protect against breast cancer.
Weight: Staying active helps us maintain a healthy weight. Studies have shown that thinner women and women who gain little or no weight as they age have a lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Additionally, thinner breast cancer survivors have a higher life expectancy than heavier survivors. This is because they are less likely to have a recurrence and have a reduced incidence of developing heart disease and/or diabetes.
Lowered estrogen levels: Regular exercise may lower estrogen levels in women, which in turn may help prevent breast cancer from developing or spreading.
Lowered insulin levels: Exercising may also lower your insulin levels. Some studies have shown a correlation between high insulin levels in postmenopausal women and higher risk of developing or dying from breast cancer.
How to get started
The good news is you don’t have to run marathons or spend hours a day in the gym to reap the benefits that physical activity offers. According to the National Cancer Institute, simply taking a 30 minute walk five times a week can lower your breast cancer risk by as much as 15 percent.
So, grab a friend, and get moving! Improving your health and lowering your breast cancer risk is a simple resolution that can do so much good.
Tags: Written by: Kristen Bennett
Save the Date to Smash Breast Cancer!
January 17, 2011
We are holding our first annual tennis tournament on February 5, 2011 at the Miami Springs Tennis Courts. You don’t have to be a tennis-pro to participate. We are just out to have a good time and raise money for a great cause! Please join us and support WBHI.
If you can participate, please let us know ASAP and return this Tennis Entry Form. Applications must be received by February 1. You will be paired up with a partner if you don’t have one. We’ll even have racquets available for those of you who haven’t played in a while. There will be food and drink available for purchase, a raffle where you can win valuable gift certificates from local Miami Springs establishments and lots of fun. Please join us!
Alternatively, you can RSVP on our Facebook page and we’ll contact you with more information!
Written by: Kristen Bennett
How big, exactly, is a “lump?”
January 8, 2011
Putting lump size into perspective
Courtesy of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
The term “breast cancer” refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. As a breast cancer tumor grows, it becomes more aggressive and is more likely to spread to other parts of the body – which is why early detection is so important.
Cancer is diagnosed with a “stage” which is based on several combined factors: 1.) the size of the tumor, 2.) whether the cancer is invasive or non-invasive, 3.) whether lymph nodes are involved, and 4.) whether the cancer has spread beyond the breast. It can take up to two years for a one centimeter tumor to grow large enough to be felt. In that time, cancer cells can rapidly multiply and start spreading.
Elizabeth Edwards, who recently passed away after a second battle with cancer, is a prime example of why early detection is so critical. Edwards, who found a lump “the size of a plum” was diagnosed in 2004 with Stage II breast cancer that had already spread to several lymph nodes. Edwards had admitted to missing her annual mammogram two years in a row.
“I knew better, just like they know better,” Edwards says of women who delay getting routine screening mammograms.
As you can see in the illustrations, mammograms can find lumps that are significantly smaller than what a woman or doctor can feel during breast self examination. If you are 40 or over, getting your mammogram each year can potentially detect a tumor in its earliest stage, before it has a chance to grow and spread to other parts of your body.
For all women, it’s important to simply know your breasts, how they look and feel and what is “normal” for you. Doing optional Breast Self Exams (BSEs) is one way for women to know how their breasts normally look and feel and to notice any changes. The goal, with or without BSE, is to report any breast changes to a doctor or nurse right away. Some changes to be aware of in your breasts include:
- Any new lump (which may or may not be painful or tender)
- Unusual thickening of your breasts
- Sticky or bloody discharge from your nipples
- Any changes in the skin of your nipples or breasts, such as puckering or dimpling
- An unusual increase in the size of one breast
- One breast unusually lower than the other
Most of the time, these breast changes are not cancer, but you should see your health care provider as soon as possible for evaluation if you notice something that you think is not normal for you.
Written by: Kristen Bennett
