Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, no matter your race or ethnicity.  But not only does breast cancer affect women, of the nearly 225,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer each year, one percent (1%) of them are men.  And unfortunately the death rate among men and women diagnosed with breast cancer is still between 18% and 21% according to 2011 statistics.* 

The good news is you can survive breast cancer and medical science is making strides every day toward improving those odds. Whether its developing new methods of detecting breast cancer or new medicines for treating breast cancer medical science continues to look for a cure! In the meantime, Neill Public Library has the materials to help you through the ordeal.  Come down and check out these items: Choices in Breast Cancer Treatment: Medical Specialists and Breast Cancer Survivors Tell You What You Need to Know by Kenneth D. Miller, 100 Questions & Answers by Zora K Brown and Karl K. Boatman, and The Breast Cancer Survival Manual: A Step-by-Step Guide for the Woman with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer by John S. Link.  There's also materials for your family like Will Mom by OK?: Families Talk About Breast Cancer (DVD), Stand by Her: A Breast Cancer Guide for Men by John W. Anderson and Mom and the Polka Dot Boo Boo: A Gentle Story Explaining Breast Cancer to the Young Child by Eileen Sutherland.

And remember if you want to help by making a financial donation to the cause, make sure that the charity you are giving to, whether for breast cancer or any other cause, is legitimate. Websites like Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau can help you determine if the money you give to a charity will be used as it was intended.