October - National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

http://www.nbcam.org/

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_National_Breast_Cancer_Awareness_Month.asp



Let's Celebrate each Day and also make sure you complete a self exam - We here in Jacksonville, Florida have the Buddy Check 12

It was a program that started because of the loss of a close friend. Over a decade later, that program has turned into a bonafide lifeline that has saved the lives of hundreds.

This month marks the 15th anniversary of Buddy Check 12, a breast self-examination awareness program created through a partnership between Ch. 12/25 anchor Jeannie Blaylock and Baptist Medical Center.

It was launched in 1992 after Blaylock lost her friend, Kaye, to the disease. The first night the program was presented, the station received 234 calls from viewers seeking more information about the program. They also wanted the Buddy Check 12 kits that contain pamphlets about breast cancer and stickers for calendars to mark the 12th day of each month. Although she knew when the program was started that the idea was simple yet powerful, Blaylock said she never dreamed Buddy Check 12 would reach hundreds of local women. To date, 264 lives have been saved as a result of Buddy Check 12 and the number of women who are using the program grows every day.

“I hope that eventually a cure for breast cancer is found and that Buddy Check 12 becomes obsolete,” said Blaylock. “But, until that day comes, we’re here to spread the awareness and encourage everyone to take charge of their breast health. The point is to stay alive for the people who love you.”

To help women consistently perform self-exams, Buddy Check 12 urges everyone to get a “buddy” – someone you care about like your mother, aunt, friend or co-worker – and put the Buddy Check 12 reminder stickers on the 12th day of each month on your calendar. Then on the 12th of every month, do your self-exam and remind your buddy to do their’s.

“My buddy is my mom,” said Blaylock. “I’ve done the math and I’ve called her to check over 180 times over the past 15 years.”

Christine Granfield, radiologist and medical director of Breast Health Services at Baptist Medical Center, said over the years Buddy Check 12 has encouraged early detection, which provides the best chance for successful treatment.

“The combination of breast self-examination, an annual clinical breast exam and screening mammography all give the best chance of finding breast cancer early,” said Granfield.

Blaylock said her friend Kaye was pregnant and only 29 years old when she found a lump in her breast. She went to her doctor and he disregarded the lump. She went back after she gave birth and by then, the cancer had already metastasized.

“People have many misconceptions about breast cancer,” said Blaylock, adding that, like Kaye, many younger women fail to get regular screening mammograms. “They think either they’re too young or no one in my family has it when the reality is that only 8 to 15 percent of people with breast cancer have a genetic link. The rest don’t.”

Over 757,000 women in Jacksonville have received Buddy Check 12 kits. The kits have also been shipped to women in almost 20 other countries. Baptist will ship the kits anywhere in the world for free to anyone who requests one. Because of how successful Buddy Check 12 has been, dozens of cities — including Atlanta, Denver and Washington, D.C. — have based similar programs on Blaylock’s Buddy Check 12.

To order a Buddy Check 12 kit, call 202-CARE.




National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) program is dedicated to increasing awareness about the importance of the early detection of breast cancer through a nationwide campaign held in October. NBCAM started as a weeklong campaign in 1985 with 2 founding members. Today the American Cancer Society is one of many national public service organizations, professional associations, and government agencies that form the NBCAM Board of Sponsors. During NBCAM, the member organizations of the Board of Sponsors join forces to spread the message that early detection of breast cancer followed by prompt treatment saves lives.

The American Cancer Society programs that are available to achieve these goals include:

National Cancer Information Center

Trained Cancer Information Specialists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to offer the comfort of live support and to answer questions about cancer, link callers with resources in their communities, and provide information on local events. Spanish-speaking information specialists are available, and callers who speak languages other than English and Spanish can also be assisted. To reach the NCIC, call 1-800-227-2345.

Email National Cancer Information Center

The American Cancer Society's email center is a cancer information service that allows cancer patients, their families, and the public to ask questions about cancer and receive prompt and unbiased information from a Cancer Information Specialist or an oncology nurse. Visit the Society's Web site at www.cancer.org and click on "contact us."

American Cancer Society Web site

The Society's user-friendly Web site (www.cancer.org) includes an interactive cancer resource center containing in-depth information on every major cancer type. The site answers questions about breast cancer, risk factors, strategies for early detection, new diagnostic techniques, and the latest treatment options. Additionally, select content is available in Spanish. Visit the part of our Web site dedicated to breast cancer at www.cancer.org/breastcancer.

The American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer

The Society provides a complete set of recommendations for detecting breast cancer early, emphasizing the need for women aged 40 and older to get a mammogram and clinical breast exam every year.

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

To reduce disparities in breast cancer among medically underserved populations, the American Cancer Society is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote the need for and importance of their National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) The NBCCEDP provides access to breast and cervical cancer screening tests and follow-up services for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women.

The Breast Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients

This publication helps breast cancer patients make informed decisions about their treatment. The Treatment Guidelines series is published by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.