The color of the breast cancer wristband is pink. Pink goes for more than just breast cancer wristbands supporting the cause. Pink can be found on t-shirts, water bottles, visors, kitchen gadgets, and even bathtime toys. There is a massive pink movement going on now, and breast cancer is receiving a public focus more than it has in the past. Famous celebrities are helping the movement to find a cure for breast cancer as they come forward with their own personal battles with the illness. Never before have so many people made public their battle with a personal illness nor have so many people came together to unite for a single cause.
Breast cancer strikes thousands of women each year. For some, it is a recurring battle but for others it is their first experience of any sort with the illness. For others, it means watching a mother, sister, or daughter succumb to the illness before fighting their own battle. Some women are able to have a short battle with few physical effects while others wage a lengthy battle only to lose in the end or be severely disfigured or have resulting poor health from treatments.
For most women, the finding of a lump in the shower or a spot on a mammogram begins a painful, difficult battle that will test the physical and mental capabilities of the woman afflicted. Usually a biopsy is taken to confirm the presence of cancer and the type present. Some types of breast cancer are more aggressive than others, and some types of malignancies spread quickly while others grow slowly. After determining the type of cancer, an oncologist can help determine the best methods of treatment and recovery expectancies. A few decades ago, a diagnosis of breast cancer meant a terminal diagnosis or severe disfiguration at best after a long, difficult course of chemotherapy. Now, some women can have a lump removed and begin a course of anticancer drugs without missing much work, suffering severe side effects, or even being visibly ill to others. Chemotherapy in the past meant nausea, hair loss, pain, and dread of possibly fatal infections. Sometimes this type of aggressive treatment is stil needed, and even then some women lose their battle, but now there are many new types of selective drugs that can help treat the cancer without doing so much damage to the body. Recovery time is quicker and recovery rates are higher than ever before, thanks to these new medications, new technologies, and earlier detection. In addition to better treatment methods, there are options for women who do suffer from chemotherapy-related side effects and have to deal with the devastation of a mastectomy. There are surgical and external options to create a more natural appearance for those who have had to undergo a mastectomy. Wigs can help with hair loss related to medication effects. There are also supplements and other medications to help make a breast cancer patient feel better physically while trying to combat the illness.
Breast cancer awareness has also increased the need for women to be aware of their family history and associated risks, the need for early detection through regular mammograms, and self-exams to help aid in early detection. Until a cure for breast cancer is found, pink will be everywhere from the lights on a city skyline to a pink breast cancer wristband around the arm of an executive, and people will continue to search for a cure that might save their sister, daughter, mother, wife, or themselves.