Passionately pink for breast cancer cure

Passionately pink for breast cancer cure
By MONA LOCKEGUEST

As we all watch Wall Street and wonder how the numbers will affect our lives, here are some other numbers to consider as we observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Ninety-eight: The percentage of a woman's chance of surviving breast cancer if it is caught early. We've made tremendous strides in the fight against breast cancer. With billions of dollars invested in research and awareness education, and millions of survivors around the world, we can feel proud of our progress and hopeful for the future -- but we still have a long way to go.

Twenty-eight: Our state's current rank in the nation for the number of women who receive regular mammograms, the very thing that can turn a victim into a survivor. For women who receive an annual mammogram, the test can detect tumors long before they are big enough to feel. Yet, about one in four women fail to receive a mammogram each year. Many women simply forget to schedule it, causing another year to pass by. For others the reason is a bit more significant. More than 46,000 women in Washington cannot afford a mammogram. The risk of dying from breast cancer increases 30 percent to 50 percent for women who are uninsured.

Eleven: The number of families in Washington each day who find out they must face this disease. Washington is one of the top three states in the nation with the highest rate of breast cancer. The Puget Sound Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure helps fund the Washington Breast and Cervical Health Program, which provides no-cost mammograms to low-income and uninsured women between the ages of 40-64.

One: The number of people it takes to save a life. Schedule your mammogram today. Remind your mother, sisters, daughters and friends to do the same. This October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we have partnered with Gene Juarez Salons & Spas to offer mammography screenings at Gene Juarez locations throughout the Northwest. No-cost screenings are available for uninsured women with limited incomes. To schedule an appointment, find out more information about WBCHP, call 800-756-5437.

Bottom line -- mammograms save lives.

Take it one step further and go pink this October to help us spread the word about the
effectiveness of mammograms while raising funds to help those in your community. Participate in "Passionately Pink for the Cure," a grassroots program in which companies, organizations or individuals pick a day to wear pink to raise awareness for breast cancer. Visit passionatelypink.org to receive a free participation kit to help organize your own Passionately Pink for a Cure day.

We thank KING-TV, KOMO/4, KCPQ/13 and KIRO/7 for celebrating "Passionately Pink for the Cure" by asking their television anchors and on-air talent to wear pink on Thursday during their newscasts in solidarity for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and breast cancer awareness month.
We are fighting every minute of every day to end breast cancer forever. Please join us in the fight. Pick your pink. Play your part. End breast cancer forever.

Mona Locke is executive director of the Puget Sound affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

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