It’s October, you’ve seen the ubiquitous pink ribbons around the city and in the News Bulletin, on television and web advertisements, and you know the importance of breast cancer awareness.
However, do you really know anything about breast cancer?
Knowing someone with breast cancer — his or her diagnosis, concerns and the medical process, and everything in between — ensures you’ll have a firm grasp on the issue. Conversely, hearing sound bites and seeing pink ribbons everywhere contributes to awareness, but it doesn’t make you knowledgeable.
Further, if you know no one with breast cancer, you may not understand the issue as well as you should — and that ignorance, sometimes, can cost you your life. For instance, diagnosis of the disease often follows regularly scheduled mammograms for those affected, and if you don’t understand these routine tests’ importance, you may not frequently receive them.
Outside skin cancer, this is the most common cancer form among our country’s women, with one in eight females developing invasive breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Moreover, it’s the second leading cancer-related death for women — so you might say the stakes are high.
And you may be playing Russian roulette with your health.
Healthy Woman, a North Okaloosa Medical Center resource, hopes to prevent that. Its Pink Heals Tour 2012, 5:30-7 p.m. Oct. 18 at the medical center, shines a bright light on breast cancer.
The event’s featured guest is a pink Jacksonville firetruck named Chase, which bears the names of countless breast cancer survivors who share their stories with the simple strokes of a permanent marker. Crestview breast cancer survivors are scheduled to speak, as will Dr. Loretta Brestan, a general surgeon who will explain the medical process to attendees.
It’s going to get personal, it’s going to be educational and it may ultimately save your life. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no fun. Attendees can enter for a chance to win door prizes. Further, 105.5 FM “The Wolf” will broadcast from the medical center.
Just go. Take a step out of the “awareness” shadow and into the light of true knowledge.
It just may save your life.
Thomas Boni is the Editor of the Crestview News Bulletin. Email him at tboni@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @cnbeditor, or call 682-6524. What's your view? Email news@crestviewbulletin.com with the subject "My view." Letters must be 250 words or less and written on local issues.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: Forget breast cancer awareness; aim for expertise