Beyond A Cure

Mom and I were just talking the other day about how frustrating it is to see all this attention placed on "survivors of" and "finding a cure for" breast cancer. I mean, yes, that is good. I'd rather be a survivor than a victim, and a cure would be great. But really, it seems like a backward tactic.

The statistics I've read are so alarming. The lastest one said that one in nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her life time. 1 in 9! That just seems ridiculous. Of course, most of them will not be as young as me...or my friend who was diagnosed at age (can you believe it) 17. But, young or old, getting breast cancer just sucks. Even if, like me, you survive it. Even if, like me, you get cured.

What we really need (duh) is to understand why we are getting it! I just can't understand why more people aren't talking about this. WHY are so many women getting breast cancer? What is causing it? How can we prevent it!?

Thank goodness for Susan Love of Breast Health Book fame. She's started a project to support research into finding the cause and stopping it before it starts. It seems like a good idea and a good program. They need women to register and be available for studies. They want to collect information about the health of all kinds of women...bc survivors, those at risk, and those with no history of it at all. Please consider adding yourself to the pool. Please consider asking the women in your life to do so too.

Here's the info.

Thank You for Joining The Army of Women

Welcome to the Love/Avon Army of Women, a revolutionary movement to bring women and researchers together to eradicate breast cancer. As a proud Army of Women member, you will regularly receive emails from us that announce new research studies as well as other Army of Women activities. You will need to login into your account in order to sign up for any research studies or participate in our Town Hall. The Army is dedicated to representing ALL women in research so that the research results will apply to ALL women. This means we need you to help us recruit women of all ages, ethnicities, sizes, and shapes. We need women who have had breast cancer and women who have not. We need African American women, Asian women, white women, Latinas, and lesbians to be involved. You can do your part to help us spread the word about the Army and reach our goal of one million women by: Emailing an invitation to your friends and family members to join the Army. Send an email today! Inviting your church, school, professional organization, social group, or sorority, to join the Army. Email us for more information about group affiliations. Using our "Share/Send to a Friend" feature to let friends or family members know about information we have on our site that might interest them. Forward emails you receive from the Army to family members and friends. Talk to your friends and family members about the Army and the studies you take part in. Link to www.armyofwomen.org from your social networking page, website, or blog. Thank you for joining the movement to go beyond a cure to eradicate breast cancer.