Two words no woman wants to hear: breast cancer. Yet, one out of eight women are diagnosed each year with the disease and the numbers appear to remain consistent.
Even as the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce lit up the Mid-Hudson Bridge Oct. 5 with pink lighting and special fireworks as a reminder that this is breast cancer awareness month, many of the women reading this article won”™t have their yearly mammogram ”“ particularly the over-50 crowd, those that doctors say are more likely than any other age group at risk. Menopause, menstrual periods that began before the age of 12 and a family history of the disease all contribute to elevated levels of risk for women.
Still, many more women are becoming proactive about self-examination and getting to their gynecologist on a yearly basis. While cancer is the second leading cause of death among women in the U.S., women are also finding more options available to them to stay in the “survivor” column.
Hospitals throughout the Hudson Valley, as well as a multitude of health care organizations, are encouraging women to err on the side of caution and visit their doctors annually. Good nutrition, exercise and less stress all contribute to a healthier outlook for females. But with women increasingly becoming the family breadwinners, it has become difficult to commute, work full time, take care of children and chores and take care of themselves.
Nyack Hospital”™s Breast Center is Rockland County”™s first program to receive a three year-full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Cancer (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.
The hospital received a $76,000 grant from the Greater New York City affiliate of the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Inc. to provide mammography screening services for underinsured and insured women in Rockland.
“We have a tremendous urgency to find the cures and to create a world where no one has to face breast cancer ever again,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “As we have for many years, we are again funding innovative research into prevention, while we also ask scientists to find better ways to screen for breast cancer, and better ways to effectively treat this disease. As far as we”™ve come, we have much more to learn to unlock the secrets of how this disease forms and spreads.”
Komen for the Cure, the world”™s largest breast cancer organization, announced $59 million in 2010 research grants to 65 institutions today, adding to the nearly $500 million the organization has invested in research funding globally over the past 30 years.
All told, Komen”™s $59 million 2010 research commitment will fund 115 research projects around the world. ?Union Restaurant and Skincerely Med Spa have offered to raise funds for the Breast Center, according to Amy Massimo, the hospital”™s public relations manager. “We”™re hoping more businesses will join the program and help donate to breast cancer awareness, but we are very grateful to these two companies for working help raise money to find a cure.”
And be sure to watch for traffic early Sunday morning, Oct. 17, as thousands of women, both cancer survivors, their loved ones and supporters, head to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley to participate in the annual Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk, which begins at 7:30am.
