A Small Favor to Ask...

Note: I struggled with whether or not to publish this post.  I don't usually write much about my personal life here, and this topic is about as personal as it gets.  At the end of the day, I decided it was best to put this out there in the hope that I may be able to help give a little bit more attention to a worthy cause.

13 years ago today I lost my role model and my best friend.  My mother was an incredible woman: she was intelligent, charming, witty, successful, kind, loving, and well respected.  In short, she was everything I hope to be.  I have no doubt that for the past 13 years the world has been a worse place without her.  My life certainly has been.

I was 11 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.  For two and a half years my mother tried chemotherapy, radiation, and stem cell treatment.  Through it all, she remained optimistic and positive, and urged my sister and myself to be so as well.  She truly believed she would beat the disease; we all did.

I wouldn't wish what my family went through upon anyone; unfortunately, it happens every day.  About 39,840 women in the US were expected to die of breast cancer in 2010 (source).  That's 39,840 wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters.

Why, given my resolution to be more positive, tell you this?  Because awareness and early detection are crucial in the fight against breast cancer.  Breast cancer that is detected early is more likely to be smaller and still confined to the breast, making chances of survival exponentially higher.  Raising awareness for the disease makes women more likely to get screened, heightening their chances of early detection.  Raising awareness also increases donations to organizations associated with breast cancer research, which help fund progress toward finding a cure.

So now I have a small favor to ask: please get involved.  There are plenty of things you can do; you can go get screened yourself, donate to a charity associated with breast cancer research, run Race for the Cure or a Marathon for the Cure, click this link to help fund mamograms for underpriviledged women, or buy products which donate proceeds to breast cancer research.

Thank you - your involvement means more to me than I can put in to words.  If we all take small steps towards raising awareness the aggregate impact will be huge.

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