It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month

by Angela Smith

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year the slogan is Rise, and then on their website, it says “in supporting/serving/screening everyone,” with those three words changing constantly.

This slogan is fitting not just for breast cancer but for the last year or so we have all been experiencing on many fronts. This is a call for action and unity as The National Breast Cancer Foundation acknowledges the fall off in the past year with early detection and screening.

Here are some facts about breast cancer.

  • 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer
  • There are over 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
  • 63% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in a localized stage (no cancer outside of breast tissue) for which the 5-year survival rate is 99%.
  • This year, an estimated 43,600 women will die from breast cancer in the U.S.
  • Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers. It is estimated that in 2021, approximately 30% of all new women cancer diagnoses will be breast cancer.

Early detection is critical for surviving breast cancer. Early detection starts with self breast exams. While not all symptoms can be caught with a self exam, many can. Some symptoms you can identify yourself are:

  • Nipple tenderness
  • Change of skin on the breast or enlargement of pores
  • A lump in your breast
  • Change in breast or nipple appearance
  • Nipple discharge

Mammograms

A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. It remains the best way to detect breast cancer. And while it can be uncomfortable, to say the least, it does not spread cancer, and radiation exposure is very low from a mammogram making the benefits far greater than any risk.

The standard recommendation for mammograms is annually starting at 40, but you should speak with your doctor as there are other factors to be considered.

What Can You Do to Fight Breast Cancer

  • Donate or start your own fundraiser
  • your doctor recommends it, get a mammogram and tell others to as well
  • If you have experienced breast cancer, share your story. The National Breast Cancer Foundation has a platform for you as does the CDC
  • Shop and show your love and support

At Eunre, we believe beauty is about how you imagine yourself and how you bring that vision to life. Staying healthy, self care and loving yourself is beautiful, so let’s celebrate those things this month as we embrace early detection, supporting/serving and screening everyone!


The National Breast Cancer Foundation offers lots of free resources you can find here.

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