By: Danielle Terracciano
Every woman’s greatest fear is hearing you have breast cancer coming from her doctor’s mouth. Imagine how terrifying it must feel to be that woman, or to be her daughter, niece, sister, or best friend. In America, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, but so many more will be affected indirectly. My family has a long genetic line of breast cancer, starting back with my great grandma, then my grandma, and then my mom. I am proud to say that my family is one of fighters, and passionate advocates of Breast Cancer Awareness. Although it might seem impossible for college students to get breast cancer, it can happen. It is extremely important to be as proactive as possible, and that begins with getting a yearly mammogram, which can detect malignant cells before they have even turned into a tumor. By finding the cancer remarkably early, at something called Stage 0, you increase your survival rate by over 95 percent. This emerging area of practice, called Early Detection, saves thousands of women each year from developing tumors and progressed stages of cancer.
If you want to promote Breast Cancer Awareness, there is a fun way to get involved on campus. The 9th Annual “Think Pink 5K” will be taking place this Saturday, October 24th, at 9:45 am at LMU’s Burns Recreation Center. The event will benefit the American Cancer Society: Making Strides against Breast Cancer for Breast Cancer Research. Swing by to support the cause, get some cardio in, and enjoy a fun morning with music, t-shirts, snacks, and friends.