I mentioned the other day that October is breast cancer awareness month. I think that is pretty much universal? Anyway it is here in the UK.
Around 46,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year. Most of these are women. Only around 300 are men. This means Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK (excluding non melanoma skin cancer) and by far the most common cancer in women.
Breast cancer is something that affects all of us. 1 in 9 of us will actually develop it at some point in our lives. We will all know someone who has either had it, or still has it, or has died from it. We may die from it.
Research shows that we should soon be able to do much to prevent it. We can already identify the risk factors and the mutant genes etc. This is a huge advance from just 40 years ago. Back then a diagnosis of breast cancer was often a death sentence. However, breast cancer survival rates have been improving for forty years. More women are surviving breast cancer than ever before.
In the 1970s around 5 out of 10 women with breast cancer survived the disease beyond five years. Today the survival rate is more than 8 out of 10. My hope is that for my daughters and my granddaughter that they may be able to prevent it totally or at the very least to get a 10 out of 10 survival rate.
Cancer in whatever form it comes is a hideous disease but breast cancer is especially devastating for women. It often affects them as much psychologically as it does physically. We need to do as much as we can to help prevent it. We also need to do as much as we can to support the wonderful nurses who help not just the cancer patients but their families.
Breast cancer has touched my own life through my grandmother and my Mum. Neither of them actually died from it. My grandmother eventually died from secondary causes and my mother survived it only to be ravaged a few years later by Alzheimer’s.
So what can we do? First off take responsibility for your own health. Check out the risk factors, do what you can to avoid them. Make regular breast self examination checks and go for your mammograms. (Yes we know they hurt like hell but they could mean the difference between life and death). Secondly do whatever you can to support the cause. Give your time, your money, your support, whatever you can. It all helps.
You will probably remember that 18 months ago myself, Simon, Coralie and my cousin Wendy took part in the London Moon Walk in aid of breast cancer care. It was a great experience and raised lots of money. This year we did the race for life. This goes to prove that even ordinary people can do something towards helping this cause.
Please do whatever you can. Remember it could be you, or your Mum, or daughter, or granddaughter or even one of your men folk.
Jilly
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