I’m going Pink this October! Are you?

Today, or I should say the month of October is something very special, not only will I announce my October Featured Blogger in a few days time, the path where this blog is taking along with you, but most especially, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

So, to show my support, Sweetjellybean.com is waving Pink and would like to invite you all to do the same. I feel that the blogosphere has so much power to also make a difference, and as a Mom blogger I would like to take part and promote awareness about breast cancer, which is one of the most common cancer here in the UK.

Wherever you are, whatever you do, let’s show our support by spreading this awareness and let those who are affected know that they’re not alone as we’re fighting with them. Please feel free to grab any of the badges, grab box code are provided. 🙂

Please feel free to grab this badge — check sidebar for the code — to show your support!

So, I would like to invite you all to ‘blog Pink’ as a way of showing your support. I’ve just changed my banner for this month, along with my background, and if you want to have the same background, please free to give me a buzz. Also, feel free to tweet any of your posts with the hashtag #blogpink and I will RT them for you. 

I will be hosting some type of event on a weekly basis and more details on this will follow through. If you would like to show your support, please feel free to put this badge on your blog, blog about this post with a link, or simple link up at the end of your post. And for this month only, I’m more than happy to make your header with the Pink ribbon logo associated with it. Don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments section.

<div align="center"><a href="http://sweetjellybean.com/2012/10/01/im-going-pink-this-october-are-you/" title="sweetjellybean.com"><img src="https://sweetjellybean.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/longbannerpink3.png" alt="sweetjellybean.com" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Or use this banner at the end of your post.
You only need to post this once, not on every post, although you’re more than welcome to do so.

Stay tuned for more details on this blog’s campaign to support Breast Awareness Month.

Please take a moment to read the details below. Thank you!

What is breast cancer?

In the UK, around 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, around 300 of them men.

Approximately 81% of breast cancers occur in women who are over the age of 50. Nearly half of all cases are diagnosed in people in the 50-69 age group.

Breast cancer is not one single disease. There are several types of breast cancer. It can be diagnosed at different stages of development and can grow at different rates. This means that people can be given different treatments, depending on what will work best for them.

Having breast cancer doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is going to die. Better treatments mean that more and more people are now living long and full lives after breast cancer. It’s thought that around 550,000 people are alive in the UK who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer.

Facts about breast cancer

The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 8 
This means that 1 in 8 women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their life – but of course it also means that 7 out of 8 women won’t develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

Estimated risk of developing breast cancer according to age

• Risk up to age 29, 1 in 2,000.
• Risk up to age 39, 1 in 215.
• Risk up to age 49, 1 in 50.
• Risk up to age 59, 1 in 22.
• Risk up to age 69, 1 in 13.
• Lifetime risk, 1 in 8.

Be breast aware

Being breast aware simply means getting to know how your breasts normally look and feel at different times of the month. If you notice a change that isn’t normal for you, talk it over with your doctor.

You don’t need to examine your breasts every day or even every week. But it is important to know how your breasts normally feel, and how that changes with your periods. Some women have lumpier breasts around the time of a period. If this is the same in both breasts, don’t worry. But check your breasts again the following month, a few days after your period is over. If the lumpiness comes and goes with your menstrual cycle, it is nothing to worry about.

It is easiest to check your breasts in the shower or bath. Run a soapy hand over each breast and up under your arm. The NHS breast awareness five point code says:

• Know what is normal for you
• Look and feel
• Know what changes to look for
• Report any changes without delay
• Attend for breast screening if you are aged 50 or over

A mammogram helps detect breast cancer
A mammogram – a breast x-ray – is used to screen for and detect cancer and other breast conditions early so they can be treated as soon as possible. Because breast cancer is more common in women who are over the age of 50, women aged 50 to 70 are invited for routine breast screening every three years.

The fight to beat breast cancer is ongoing and research is being conducted to save the many lives of those that are affected. Although there is indeed progress, the fact that cancer survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years, according to Cancer Research UK, the largest single funder of breast cancer in the UK.

Sources:

The above information are gathered from: BreastCancerCare.org.uk, CancerResearchUK.org

Let’s blog Pink together and show our support!