Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Throughout the years it has been told that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone knows that they can donate to help the cause, but one thing that many don’t know is that you can donate at any time. When one hears the word cancer one thinks all hope is lost. When in reality it is not.

Michelle Millman is a cancer survivor who defeated it. She might have fought it for a while but was able to beat. She wants to give hope to those who have it. “Always try to laugh. Take away what life brings you with joy and don’t feel ashamed for being different, but beautiful in each in or own ways.” Everything that Michelle said spoke out to me.

Michelle faced one of the biggest challenges of her life in 2009 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was very open about her experience, blogging about it – from the surgeries to the five months of chemo. Michelle now gives much of her time to local organizations that advocate for cancer patients and raise awareness and money to help find a cure. Source Komen Puget Sound

Michelle said that the only time she felt happy and didn’t think she had cancer was when she slept, but she never lost her hope. She did worry because she was afraid to leave her children. Many people do fear cancer because the first thing we think of is death. One might fear Chemo but there are more ways one can get help and one can be saved. One should have faith and hope this is coming from a person who lost her one of her parents to cancer but the other was able to beat it. Try to have hope and not lose it. Get regular checkups especially if you have had family who had cancer. If you do get it or know someone who has is there are places that can help them.

Get more information such as the Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Foundation here in Washington, but there are also many more. Always remember to have hope and try not to give up.

I have personally had a close family who had cancer and defeated it. My dad had colon cancer, it might have not been breast, but he was motivated to defeat it. He said what kept him going was having faith and hope. Always know that there are support groups where one can get help. You may have dark days when you don’t want to get up, but one will be able to.

Esmeralda Cruz
GSC Programmer

How You Can Help

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. Here are just a few ways you can help women in need this month:

Encourage Screening, Access & Treatment