Walking down Bay Pines Boulevard around 9 in the morning was a man, a man in a pink sash. The sash he wore was illegible for those in passing cars, and so I thought the man in the pink sash was simply that, a man wearing a pink sash reminiscent of a sash that a pageant queen would wear. It is not uncommon for me to see people in what would be considered odd ensembles.

    It took awhile for me to realize that the man with the pink sash was a part of a larger purpose. In fact, it took twenty minutes and several hundred people dressed in pink. The Breast Cancer 3-Day walk, which is held annually in several cities around the United States, is a 60-mile walk for men and women that wish to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. The Breast Cancer 3-Day was in Tampa Bay from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The 3-Day is one of many different events that the Susan G. Komen Foundation runs.

    I do not feel that this organization is given the recognition it deserves. I know that within the community of those affected by breast cancer, whether through a family member’s illness or personal illness, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has provided a vast amount of opportunities for involvement in addition to hope. For one local past participant in the 3-Day and Art for the Cure, Susan G. Komen for the Cure was there when she was diagnosed. “I didn’t really know what would come next. I was in denial. It’s a scary thing, and I recognized pretty quickly that I didn’t have a good grasp of what treatments were available to me,” says Barbara Nordstrom.

    After listening to the stories of several walkers, I realized that I would not know what was available if I or one of my loved ones were diagnosed with breast cancer. I think the majority of people think that if someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, then they will lose the entire breast. The truth is that in some cases this may occur but generally there are other options. There is a great deal of research being done on breast cancer treatment, and new innovations in the past decade alone have helped to increase the number of breast cancer survivors. Treatment is different for each individual, and choosing a treatment can be very personal.

    Just like any other cancer, the goal of surgery in the treatment of breast cancer is to completely remove the tumor from the area. Mastectomies tend to come to mind with the thought of treatment, but there is an alternative to removing the entire breast. A lumpectomy is where the tumor and surrounding tissue are removed, but unlike mastectomies that do not often require radiation therapy after the fact, patients that choose to undergo a lumpectomy almost always find radiation therapy following the surgery essential to an effective treatment. And all treatments for cancer have their positives and negatives. Chemotherapy, for example, can help to prevent cancer from coming back, but the treatment is notorious for its harsh side effects.

    There is no way for me to thoroughly cover all of the treatments, and there is no cure-all for breast cancer, whether or not there will be someday is questionable. Breast cancer has received more media coverage in the past twenty years than it previously had, but in the past year I have noticed less understanding, less promotion and more readably accessible information that is not being utilized.  

    In writing this article, it was my goal to encourage people to reach out to others and learn more about this disease that seizes more than 40,000 new victims in the United States each year. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization has an extensive website* that details how to get involved in the community and has facts and statistics about breast cancer.

The website also has a “promise” shop where each purchase benefits the fight against breast cancer, but “pink” products are not limited to the Komen organization. Sephora, a leading beauty chain, boasts eleven different breast cancer awareness products, and Publix now sells pink organic grocery bags, donating the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen organization.

    Getting involved in the fight against breast cancer is as easy as going to the website listed at the bottom of this article and clicking on the “I’m Here to Make a Difference” button. Whether someone is able to donate money, time, or talent, every effort we make contributes to the global mission of ending breast cancer.  

*http://ww5.komen.org