ECHOES Going pink for the cure Issue 3 | Volume 114 October 2014
The Independent Voice of Abraham Lincoln High School | Council Bluffs, Iowa | ALechoes.com
Ethan Thomas Reporter
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has come once again and the pink is out for October. The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) started in 1983 with 800 people participating in Dallas, Texas and then grew rapidly in 2002 with 1.3 million participating in over 100 US cities. NBCAM has come a long way and continues to raise money and bring more people involved each year. Breast cancer has affected many people’s lives worldwide as one in eight people could possibly be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. It’s also the second leading cause of deaths among women. While rare, men can be diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Less than 1% in all breast cancer develops in males yet the tumor spreads just like female breast cancer, according to www. nationalbreastcancer.org. Newly hired Spanish Teacher Heather Hall has been diagnosed with this disease. “The biggest effect is that I’m really tired and fatigued. Mostly during school hours after my chemo treatment, I’ve missed anywhere from five to seven days. So not only does it affect my school life but also my life at home,” Hall said. “The most important thing is to be positive. If you can be positive about it, than your body can fight the cancer better.” Some risk factors that cause breast cancer are genetics, early menstruation at age 12, or late menopause at age 55. Student Alicia Steppuhn is a witness to an on-going fight of breast cancer in her family. “She had was septic which is a deadly infection so we were really lucky to able to get past that point,” Steppuhn said. Even though breast cancer is serious, it is hardly fatal. The probability of
dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 36 cases. Susan G. Komen For the Cure has been a huge impact not only in the US, but in several countries worldwide. The inspiration behind the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, also known as Komen, was Susan G. Komen herself. She was born in 1943 and was diagnosed at age 33. She eventually died three years
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later in 1980. Her sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker, promised Susanr that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer. Since then, Komen has spent $1.5 billion for breast cancer researching, education, health services, and support programs among the US. From the help of Komen, NBCAM, and thousands of doctors, there have been many people that
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have survived breast cancer. Breast cancer death rates have been dropping from the results of finding the cancer earlier along with better treatment. Two and a half million people in the US have survived from breast cancer. According to cancer. org, in 2014, 232,670 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among U.S. women, while last year, there were 232,340 new cases.
Nov. 20:
Nov. 24
End of 1st trimester
Start of 2nd trimester
Nov. 2628:
Thanksgiving Break