Advice for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In the month of October people not only celebrate Halloween and the beginnings of fall, they also bring awareness to Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the breast, starting when cells begin to grow out of control. Breast cancer cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. It usually occurs in women, but men are also at risk in multiple reported cases. It’s important to understand that most breast lumps are benign and not cancer (malignant). Non-cancerous breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not spread outside of the breast. They are not life threatening, but some types of benign breast lumps can increase a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer. Any breast lump or change needs to be checked by a health care professional to determine if it is benign or malignant (cancer) and if it might affect your future cancer risk.

Cancers of the breast can start from different parts. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts that carry milk to the nipple (ductal cancers), while others start in the glands that make breast milk (lobular cancers). There are also other types of breast cancer that are less common like phyllodes tumor and angiosarcoma  sarcomas lymphomas , A small number of cancers start in other tissues in the breast. These cancers are called sarcomas  and lymphomas, though are typically not considered a type of ‘breast cancer’ by medical professionals.

Breast cancer can spread when the cancer cells get into the blood or lymph system and are carried to other parts of the body.

Patricia Connor, a teacher at Lamar high school and she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer the previous year but she won the battle and still is continuing her career.

“The challenges was getting it taken of care of soon as possible ” Connor said.

Most people have a common major issue when it comes to fighting any cancer or disease, the health insurance. Some wrought with the disease are only given the help of health insurance when it’s far too late, and the cancer has spread beyond help.

“The real problem was the health care and the way the insurance companies operated it took six months from when I was originally diagnosed that was one thing. The second thing was trying to get the curriculum taken care of while I was going to be out which was eight weeks” Connor said .

Being diagnosed with Breast cancer did not phase this strong woman’s lifestyle as much it would f0r anyone one else finding out they had any type of cancer, yet it did hurt her parents to find out the news. Nonetheless, Connor won the hard-fought battle.

“Well the first thing people do is cry, but I did not cry I was annoyed,” Connor said. “I was more annoyed that it interrupted my life and what I needed to do it make it go away. My parents did cry on the other hand who are in their nineties.”

Connor offered some advice and tips for the young people out there unaware of the risks and danger.

“You need to get a Mammogram; the benchmark for younger women is 40 but here’s my recommendation,” said Connor, “I think when your are younger like 30 or so you need to get a baseline at that point, and you need get it done every year , and you need to start doing Breast examinations regularly”

Breast cancer can catch many by surprise, so be aware, and take care of yourself this Autumn season.