By Kim CarusoI'm one of the lucky ones, I see the PINK ribbon as a symbol of a disheartening, tragic, persistent disease that OTHER women have faced, that an older aunt battled and won, but it took so much out of her, she will never be the same. I am lucky and blessed this tragedy has skipped little ol' me and my immediate family and I am praying it continues to do so.
Seeing PINK makes me see red with anger but it also reminds me how much breast cancer affects thousands of American women every year. In fact, over 280,000 women in 2011 received the devastating news of breast cancer in the US alone. Seeing PINK makes me want to do something, anything to help bring this disease to its end. What can anyone do? Here are a few simple easy things to do to help make a difference:
• Volunteer for just ONE day at your local cancer center. Bring a smile to someone facing the challenges of cancer and brighten their day.
• Run for the cause. Make a goal to run a 5K Fun Run that donates all proceeds to Breast Cancer Research. Have fun, exercise and know you have done something to help another.
• Buy something PINK that will donate proceeds to the cause and to research. You can treat yourself to a little something new and know that you are helping eliminate this deadly disease.
• Remind the women in your life to get their mammogram. Go so far as to get the date of their mammogram and put a reminder in your calendar so every year you keep them on track and healthy.
• Wear a PINK ribbon! So simple and easy to do to bring awareness to those around you every day. Remind people breast cancer is still a deadly problem that affects more and more women every year.
This month, seeing PINK actually reminded me it has been over a year since my last mammogram. How quickly time flies and how easy to not take care of yourself. Thank you PINK, for getting me to the doctor that much sooner.
One last thing that seeing PINK does for me, it makes me grateful, so grateful that my mother, my friends, myself are lucky to be healthy and breast cancer free. I want that for every woman today.
Let's all find a way and use the POWER of PINK to fight breast cancer and finally win! Every woman in your life will thank you.
