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Kaysi Borchers | Feature | October
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. At first, cancer in general was not something people knew a lot about, and billions have died.
For about a hundred years, women have advocated for each other so they can get the help they need. ”Breast cancer remained a hidden disease among women in the United States until the 20th century.” The National Health Institution said. “It was initially brought into the open with public revelations from individual women, which was followed by the development of support groups and ultimately the formation of political activist groups with various priorities.”
Cancer was pushed to the side due to not knowing a whole ton about it. Many died till people got enraged, and wanted a change to happen. Mary Lasker said a woman who lost her friend to cancer, “I became infuriated when I read that there was no single place which had as much as five hundred thousand dollars for cancer research.…That wouldn't even be a suitable sum for an advertising campaign for a toothpaste.” Lasker lost her housekeeper to uterine cancer, and wanted the change.
All images taken from Canva
After sometime, research expanded and those who had breast cancer would have to get a mastectomy. A mastectomy is when they cut all breast tissue out of the breast. Many women did this because it was one of the only options. “The doctor can make the incision; I'll make the decision,” Shirley Temple Black said to symbolize that it’s her body and she will decide. She had breast cancer and didn’t want to have a mastectomy.
As time goes on and the evolution of research keeps evolving, more options become open to women. Places fundraise to help women who need it. Mandan High school even helps raise money through our homecoming week activities. $515 million a year is raised according to Heathline.com. That's a lot of money to help those in need.
One place to get help, or tested for breast cancer is Edith Sanford Breast Center in Bismarck. At Sanford, they can test for breast cancer, and help treat it. Ways to treat it are “Radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, lumpectomy is surgery to remove the breast cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it, and a mastectomy.” According to Mayo Clinic. These are all ways to help rid the body of cancer.
Ridding the body of cancer can be a difficult process, and for those experiencing it might want to have someone to support and help them through it. Being with and supporting the person can be helpful to them, or sometimes people don’t want support and that’s okay.
Helping can just give them faith in the survival rates of breast cancer. 91.7% of individuals who can get breast cancer survive, and about 40,000 die each year from breast cancer. Statistics taken from Mayo Clinic.
Over years of research and study of cancer has increased the survival rate. Depending on age and health can be factors in the survival rate.
Kaysi Borchers, Editor-in-Chief
Kaysi Borchers, Editor-in-Chief
Kaysi Borchers is one of two Editor-in-Chief, and Sports Editor of The Courier Staff. She has been writing for the staff for 3 years, and if you click on the red button below you can see all of her other writing.
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