Breast cancer can affect anyone. Most women fear it. Even those who are able to access education and health insurance find it a difficult subject and many women are fearful of making breast examinations and try to avoid them. For those who are poor and uneducated helping them to identify early symptoms while there is still a chance of a cure and educating them about treatment can be very difficult. Women especially, need to work together to help overcome these fears and work together to find a cure, whether it be by sharing experiences, educating or fund raising for research. Every little counts and every single woman affected and her experience counts.

Ahndrea Blue, president and CEO of the Making a Difference Foundation talks of making change, one person, and in particular one woman at a time. The organization has been working to spread awareness of breast cancer and you can download a fact sheet from the MADF website (www.madf.org). Wearing a pink ribbon to support the cause and donating as you can to a breast cancer charity is just one way to help. Listening to and supporting a woman diagnosed with or worried she has breast cancer, helping her learn the facts and access treatment is another. The Bible says when one falls another lifts them up and women who fear they have breast cancer need your strong arm to lean on,

Where breast cancer is concerned, it is particularly woman of color who fall into the lower income bracket who need help and education. It is hard to educate yourself and get health insurance if you are poor, More black women die of it than any other social group because, unfortunately, so many fall into this category. We must all work together to help beat the disease. We owe it to our sisters.

Understanding how to examine a breast is key to early detection of breast cancer. Knowing how and where to access a mammogram and understanding the importance of having one, help towards early detection. Understanding what stage the cancer has reached is frightening. Knowing what questions to ask a doctor and having a simple explanation of the array of therapies available can really help.

For now, there is a maze of therapies for breast cancer and no known cure. A woman with breast cancer needs clear explanations and reassurance she is getting the best possible treatment. Signposting and helping people understand what therapies and treatments are available is key. It takes one on one counseling and being willing to share our lives and how we cope. That is all part of the road to finding a cure. Let’s do it. Let’s stand together to beat and find a cure for breast cancer.