October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Barbara

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their life.  This time it hits close to home.  My youngest sister, Barbara, was diagnosed with breast cancer last month.  No one in our family has ever had cancer so this was a shock.  The good news, if you can say "good news" and "cancer" in the same sentence, is that it was caught very early (Stage 1)  and her prognosis is excellent.  Barbara was also accepted as a patient at M. D. Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston which is world renowned for cancer care.  She had a lumpectomy Tuesday and will follow that with six weeks of radiation.   This week I am on "nurse duty" while I am in Houston.  The other siblings all live close by so will help out as needed in the coming weeks.

As a reminder, have yearly mammograms!  My doctor suggests to schedule your yearly mammogram the same month as your birthday.  Even though breast cancer is much more prevalent in women, men can have it as well.