No, this has nothing to do with politics, but I couldn't see posting it any of the general forums.
For many years this has been a cause of great irritation to me. I find myself getting angry at just the mention of this subject. I've been shaping this message for weeks now, trying to explain myself fully, and I do understand that, with this one message, I might anger and drive away any and all females here. But here goes. Any and all comments are welcome.
Heart disease versus
breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has developed from cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that may invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body.
Breast cancer is the #2 cancer among women, with nonmelanoma skin cancers being #1. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is about 1 in 8 (13% of women). At this time there are slightly over 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Women living in North America have the highest rate of breast cancer in the world.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman?s death is about 1 in 33 (3%).
Simply being a woman is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer. Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older. About 18% of breast cancer diagnoses are among women in their 40s, while about 77% of women with breast cancer are older than 50 when they are diagnosed.
White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than are black women. But black women are more likely to die of this cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.
Cardiovascular disease includes diseases of the heart and blood vessels. It is the #1 killer of women. Cardiovascular diseases kill nearly 500,000 women each year. That?s more than the next six causes of death combined, nearly twice as many as all forms of cancer.
One in 2.5 women will die of heart disease or stroke, compared with one in 33 from breast cancer.
Heart disease can be largely prevented if women take care of themselves. Ask your doctor to help you create a plan to reduce your risk ? a plan that includes a heart-healthy diet, exercise, and medication if necessary. You can protect yourself.
Women face six major risk factors for heart disease that can be prevented, controlled or treated with diet, exercise and sometimes medications prescribed. These are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco smoke, physical inactivity, obesity or overweight and diabetes. So whether or not you die of heart disease can be controlled, somewhat, by the lifestyle you voluntarily lead.
According to the last
CDC report on death the 15 leading causes of death in 2001 were:
OK, we've got all the facts out of the way. Now comes the point where this 'ole country boy starts to have some problems.
There are websites founded specifically to help offer free mammograms to underprivileged women nationwide, and this is a great resource for women. But where are the websites founded specifically to help offer free cholesterol screenings, or blood pressure screenings, to underprivileged women nationwide?
There are "buddy systems" to remind friends to perform regular breast self-exams. But have you ever heard of a "buddy system" to remind friends to check and see if their blood pressure is 140/90 or greater?
As I walked through my local grocery store over the weekend there were four different displays, sponsored by four different vendors, talking about breast cancer. One was giving out free pink arm bands to show support for breast cancer research. One was selling Kleenex tissues in pretty pink boxes with the pink ribbon logo on them. And on and on I could go. But where were the displays giving away the "Go Red" lapel pins from the American Heart Association showing support for cardiovascular disease awareness? There weren't any, and I have never seen any.
There are people running around worrying if anti-perspirants can cause breast cancer, but how many people are running around worrying if their last cholesterol reading (you do have a reading taken each year, don't you?) was 240 mg/dL or above?
There are "fun runs" and "neighborhood walks" raising money for breast cancer research. Hundreds of women walking or running together to show support and to raise money for breast cancer research. They get massive play in the media. They have celebrities pleading for your support and money. But which celebrity goes on national TV pleading for support to rescue women's hearts from stroke and heart attack?
As I said before, I'm just a simply country boy, and I probably lack perspective. But it appears to me that "as long as we save our breasts, who cares about our hearts?" Do we need t-shirts saying, "Boobies are more important than Beaters"?
Yes, I do (somewhat) understand that both you and the rest of the world unfairly define your "femaleness" by those gorgeous curves (no matter if they be large or small) just below your shoulders, but it's going to be hard to properly define your "femaleness" when a stroke leaves one half of your body paralyzed.
Ladies, you will have more of your female friends suffer or die because of cardiovascular disease than you will of any type of cancer, and even more so of breast cancer specifically. You, yourself, have a greater chance of dying because of cardiovascular disease than you will of any type of cancer, and even more so of breast cancer specifically.
My dear bride's family has severe risk for heart disease, and every year she gets older I get a bit more scared about her future. Her dad died from a heart attack at an age younger than she is now. Yet all I see in the media, in the grocery stores, in the clothing stores, are pink ribbons all over the place. Not the first red ribbon anywhere. No "fun runs", no Kleenexes in red boxes, no celebrities lending their time in a telethon. Personally I don't care if my wife loses a breast or not - please God just don't let her heart stop beating until long after I'm dead.
So why is it that you will spend more of your time, effort, and money on breast cancer awareness and research than you do for cardiovascular disease? Is your ability to "fill out" a shirt more important than surviving a stroke or a heart attack? I'm not saying to give up supporting help, and a cure, for breast cancer - what I am asking is for you to evaulate your support for something that you have a greater risk of dying from.
God has never made anything as beautiful, mysterious, challenging, loving, and nurturing as a woman. I just hate to see so many of you die so soon when you didn't have to - with breasts or not. What are your priorities? Where are your efforts?