Women of Wednesday: And One More Thing…

You’d have to have been living on the Space Station Mir not to notice that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everything in stores that is not orange and black is probably pink. My yogurt tops are pink this month. I own a pink hair dryer, for pete’s sake. Who knows how much of that purchase went to research?

The American Cancer Society estimates the chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less 1 in 8.

12 ½ percent of the population.

3 out of 7 of the Write Sisters have battled breast cancer. Our statistics add up to 43% of our group. And that’s just our group. I’m not counting our family members and friends who have received the dreaded diagnosis.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation has done a fabulous job of raising awareness. Most of the money raised by buying pink M & Ms, pink-topped yogurts, and other products goes to their group.

Today, I’d like to make you aware of another group that is working to eradicate breast cancer. You can join for free and I urge you to do so. The Avon cosmetics company has joined Dr. Susan Love’s foundation to create the Army of Women. The purpose of this group is to provide researchers with the names of one million women who would be willing to participate in various studies. You don’t need to be a breast cancer survivor to be a member. You can be any age. Dr. Love explains it this way:

“Over and over I’ve heard scientists lament how difficult it is for them to find the volunteers they need for research studies. I’ve long believed that helping scientists overcome this obstacle would accelerate our understanding of what causes breast cancer and how to end it. By responding to this need, the Army of Women will change the face of breast cancer research.”

Susan Love, MD, MBAPresident, Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation

To join, just click on this link:
info@armyofwomen.org

Whenever a study is underway, you will receive an e-mail explaining what the study involves, where it’s being held, and who qualifies to participate. Some studies require filling out surveys. Others require medical testing (e.g. giving blood samples). Some studies ask for women of a certain age (e.g. post-menopausal). It takes less than a minute to read the summary and click yes, no, or tell me more.

Go ahead. Sign up. Be a Woman of Wednesday.