National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a yearly campaign that intend educate people about the importance of early screening, test and more. This campaign starts on October 1st and ends on October 31st every year. The third Friday of October (today) is actually recognized as national mammography day, where women are encouraged to make a mammography appointment. Cypress Insurance Team made today our pink out cancer day in special honor of a dear loved one who is struggling through her own journey with this disease.

Today, NBCAM recognizes that although many great strides have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, there remains much to be accomplished.  As NBCAM celebrated its 30th anniversary, they remain dedicated to educating and empowering women to take charge of their own breast health by practicing regular self-breast exams to identify any changes, scheduling regular visits and annual mammograms with their healthcare provider, adhering to prescribed treatment and knowing the facts about recurrence.

It is estimated that about 1 in 8 U. S. women (12.5%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. In 2018, an estimated 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 63,960 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Although death rates have been decreasing since 1989, approximately 40,920 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2018 from breast cancer. (https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics)

Breast self-exam should be part of your monthly health care routine, and you should visit your doctor if you experience breast changes. If you’re over 40 or at a high risk of breast cancer, you should also have an annual mammogram and physical exam by a doctor. The earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your chances of beating it.

If you are a cancer survivor or someone journeying through cancer treatment, CanCare is an amazing organization that can offer support and resources for you. “Cancer is hard, but it doesn’t have to be lonely.”