Fight for the cure

A small pink ribbon caught my eye last Thursday. It was fastened to a handbag by a gold safety pin. A woman clutched the bag with one hand and combed her fingers through her young daughter’s hair with the other. I didn’t know the woman, but after one glance I knew what she stood for.

She was passionate about finding a cure for breast cancer. By displaying that pink ribbon on her bag, she made her hopes and wishes public. She promoted her values and simultaneously encouraged others to do the same. Perhaps she also donates money to cancer research. Maybe breast cancer has touched her or a loved one.

I wondered if she could be a survivor or a current patient. For a moment, I wanted to talk to her and learn her reasons for wearing the ribbon. Instead, I kept my eyes fixated on that symbolic strip of fabric. I was inspired to wear one of my own. I wanted to help somehow in the fight to find a cure.

April is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and, since Thursday, I’ve become well aware.

Cancer is one of the saddest and scariest things that can happen to us. It seems like each day a new study declares a different theory about what causes the disease.

We stay away from certain products that have been linked to cancer and follow the advice of doctors and specialists who might know a few possible ways to lead a preventative lifestyle.

The moment a girl tries on her very first bra, she is told to become acquainted with her breasts. The hope is that she will check routinely for irregularities for the rest of her life, so if she feels something out of the ordinary, her cancer can be caught before it develops into a monster.

It took centuries for the most revolutionary discoveries to be made. But the realization that cancer is easier to treat the earlier it is found has saved so many lives and made cancer into a bit less of a mystery.

The charity Cancer Research UK reported that U.K. deaths from breast cancer have fallen to a record low since statistics were first collected in 1971. This is a huge victory in the battle against breast cancer and should bring hope to current breast cancer patients across the globe.

According to The Independent, a British newspaper, the decrease in the death rate is remarkable because it has occurred at a time when the incidence of the disease has risen dramatically. The number of patients has doubled since 1971 to more than 45,000 a year.

That means that there are more breast cancer survivors than ever before.

Breast cancer is still very much a threat to women (and some men – there are a few hundred cases each year). One woman in nine develops the disease, but it’s uplifting to hear about the progress science has made in just a few decades.

In the meantime, it’s essential that we continue to support the cause financially and emotionally. We have to continue to fight for the cure.