Every October, the AiRS Foundation participates in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This time of the year is specially set apart to raise awareness about the disease. Of course, most people know about breast cancer. But many people do not know about the specifics of the disease.
Here are five easy ways you can be a part of raising awareness for this disease and, perhaps, ultimately eradicating it altogether.
1. Learn the signs of breast cancer.
Both men and women should know the symptoms and signs of breast cancer. And, if you experience any of them, you should immediately alert a healthcare professional. Here are signs of breast cancer to watch out for:
- Tenderness in or around your nipples.
- A lump or thick area in the breast or beneath your arms.
- A change in the texture of your skin across your breasts.
- An enlargement of pores in the skin across your breasts.
- Discolored nipple discharge.
It’s important to remember that these are just signs of breast cancer. They do not mean you have breast cancer; they are simply what you should look out for and get checked out.
2. Perform a self-examination.
Do you know how to perform a self-examination? Are you doing them on a regular basis? Performing a self-examination is one way to catch breast cancer before it spreads. Need to learn how? Here is the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s simple explanation.
3. Encourage your friends to create an early detection plan.
Want to know a significant factor in encouraging women to learn more about breast cancer? When their friends find out more about breast cancer and share their information! By taking early detection steps yourself, and then encouraging your friends to do the same, you’re raising awareness of this disease and potentially protecting someone you love. Tell your friends to create an early detection plan, which is simply a strategy for being on the lookout for signs of breast cancer. Your plan might be as simple as performing yearly self-examinations, or it might involve more in-depth procedures, such as talking to your doctor about your risk of breast cancer or getting a mammogram.
4. Take steps toward a healthier lifestyle.
By simply leading a healthy lifestyle, you’re reducing your chances of breast cancer. If you refrain from smoking, limit your alcohol consumption, eat your fruits and vegetables, and maintain a healthy weight, you’re already taking positive steps toward preventing breast cancer. Of course, a healthy lifestyle doesn’t eliminate the chances of breast cancer altogether, but it’s a good step toward reducing your chances. Plus, you’ll feel better overall!
5. Donate to nonprofits (like the AiRS Foundation!) which help breast cancer patients.
By making a donation to a nonprofit like the AiRS Foundation which helps breast cancer patients, you’re helping us and others spread awareness of the disease not only during the month of October but year round.
Breast Reconstruction (BRA) Day is October 19th. It is a national initiative designed to promote education, awareness, and access for women who may want to consider post-mastectomy breast
reconstruction.
The AiRS Foundation, in particular, helps women receive reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy from breast cancer. Reconstruction is an essential part of feeling whole again for many women impacted by this disease. Want to make a contribution? Donations of any size are of enormous help to us! Make a donation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month today!
