Lady Victoria Eclectic Pagan's blog: "Breast Cancer Awareness"

This poem was written by a man from New York. With his permission I would like to share it with you. Masquerade I see my struggle when I look in the mirror At my body, sore and tender Yet another dose of reality making it all seem clearer My strength tested for as long as I can remember I rely on my strong sense of pride And with my head held high and proud I challenge this journey with mighty stride To escape the curse of this painful shroud As time goes on we hold fast to our stand With our voices soaring high The end of this masquerade is close at hand Our fight continues-another day going by It doesn't discriminate so I'm as strong as I can The silence is over from your fellow Man. (This poem is dedicated to all the quiet stories of men who suffer from Breast Cancer. The silent victims of this horrific disease need not be ashamed or emasculated, but rather stand united on the front to eradicate Breast Cancer with our more recognized fighters.) -- Dan McOlvin, copyright 2006.

Toll Free Information Numbers American Cancer Society 1-800-ACS-2345 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation 1-800-I'M-AWARE To Visit the site: http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm Inflammatory Breast Cancer 1-877-STOP-IBC (1-877-786-7422) Encore Plus Program of the YWCA Office of Women's Health Initiatives Telephone: 1-800-953-7587 or 202-628-3636 Internet Address: http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=284783 National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) Telephone: 212-719-0154 Internet Address: http://www.nabco.org/ National Breast Cancer Coalition 1707 L Street, NW, Suite 1060 Washington, DC 20036 Telephone: 202-296-7477 http://www.natlbcc.org/ National Cancer Institute, Cancer Information Service Telephone: 1-800-4-CANCER Internet Address: http://www.cancer.gov/ Y-Me National Breast Cancer Hot line Telephone: 1-800-221-2141, 1-800-986-9505 (Spanish) Internet Address: http://www.y-me.org/ Other sites that may be of interest One Hanover Park email: info@nationalbreastcancer.org National Breast Cancer Foundation Cancer and Careers Phone: 610-645-4567 Fax: 610-645-4573 Living Beyond Breast Cancer American Breast Cancer Foundation The Avon Fondation- Breast Center at John Hopkins Travel Help (the statements below are from the websites of the respective agency/company and not my description) Angel Flight® America (AFA) "Provides access for people in need seeking free air transportation to specialized health care facilities or distant destinations due to family, community or national crisis." Corporate Angel Network Phone 914-328-1313 Fax 914-328-3938 Toll-Free Patient Line 866-328-1313 Email info@corpangelnetwork.org "Corporate Angel Network is the only charitable organization in the USA whose sole mission is to ease the emotional stress, physical discomfort and financial burden of travel for cancer patients by arranging free flights to treatment centers, using the empty seats on corporate aircraft flying on routine business." National Patient Travel HELPLINE 1-800-296-1217 "The NATIONAL PATIENT TRAVEL HELPLINE provides information about all forms of charitable, long-distance medical air transportation and provides referrals to all appropriate sources of help available in the national charitable medical air transportation network"

This is National Breast Cancer Month. I hope and pray that I help some one to get a mammogram. For females, please do self- examination of your breasts- one week after your period. Men reading this, please do your self exams and report any changes in your breasts or nipples. Unfortunately, men get Breast Cancer too... One of the most common cancers among Black women, as you may know, is Breast Cancer. And that, my friends, is only surpassed by the number one culprit Lung Cancer. More than 217, 000 people will be affected by Breast Cancer this year. Now tell me that this fact isn’t a good reason for us to feel some fear. Every 2 minutes, my friends, a woman is diagnosed with Breast Cancer. And every 13 minutes because of Breast Cancer, one woman’s life is over. Imagine, 20,000 newly diagnosed cases are expected to occur among Black Women. Of that, 57 hundred Black Women, because of Breast Cancer, will leave this earth my friend. Black Women 5 year survival rate is 74%. Compared to White Women whose survival rate is 88%. Scientists still don’t know why Breast Cancer affects Black Women differently to White Women. There’s a higher incidence of Breast Cancer in Black Women as compared to White Women. Black Women are more likely to be diagnosed with much larger tumors. And they are also more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced stages of Breast Cancer. Among women under 45 Black Women have a higher incidence of this disease. And this is compared to the incidences among women, if you please. The risk of Breast Cancer for all women surely increases with age. But yearly mammograms and monthly self- exams help to discover it at an early stage. Women between the age of 20-30 should have a mammogram every 3 years. Be familiar with your breasts so you’ll notice any changes occurring there. Report any changes that you find to your doctor without delay. The best method of protection is early detection, that’s what I always say. Mammograms are available; they are free for everyone. But if you have no insurance you can still get yourself a free one. Ladies remind your husbands and boyfriends to check their breasts when you do. They should report any changes they see in their breasts because men can get Breast Cancer too.

A handsome, middle-aged man walked quietly into the cafe and sat down. Before he ordered, he couldn't help but notice a group of younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him, and it wasn't until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about. The man brushed off the reaction as ignorance, but the smirks began to get to him. He looked one of the rude men square in the eye, placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked, quizzically, This?" With that the men all began to laugh out loud. The man he addressed said, as he fought back laughter, "Hey, sorry man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your pink ribbon looks against your blue jacket!" The middle aged man calmly motioned for the joker to come over to his table and invited him to sit down. The guy obliged, not really sure why. In a soft voice, the middle aged man said, "I wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother's honour." "Oh, sorry dude. She died of breast cancer?" "No, she didn't. She's alive and well. But her breasts nourished me as an infant and were a soft resting place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I'm very grateful for my mother's breasts and her health." "Umm," the stranger replied, "Yeah." "And I wear this ribbon to honour my wife", the middle aged man went on. "And she's okay, too?" the other guy asked. "Oh, yes. She's fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us and with them she nurtured and nourished our beautiful daughter 23 years ago. I am grateful for my wife's breasts, and for her health." "Uh huh. And I guess you wear it to honour your daughter, also?" "It's too late to honour my daughter by wearing it now. My daughter died of breast cancer one month ago. She thought she was too young to have breast cancer, so when she accidentally noticed a small lump, she ignored it. She thought that since it wasn't painful, it must not be anything to worry about." Shaken and ashamed, the now sober stranger said, "Oh, man, I'm so sorry mister." "So, in my daughter's memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. Now, go home and talk to your wife and your daughters, your mother and your friends. And here," the middle-aged man reached in his pocket and handed the other man a little pink ribbon. The guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, "Can ya help me put it on?"

Do regular breast self-exams and encourage those women you love to do the same. Please send this on to anyone you would like to remind of the importance of breast cancer awareness.