How You Can Use Your Voice in the Fight Against Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a well-known disease that impacts millions of people on daily basis.
If you or your loved ones have suffered from breast cancer, you likely have felt the need to make a lasting impact on the fight against breast cancer. Advocating for breast cancer patients and using your voice to spread awareness can help drive mindfulness around the disease. However, it is equally important to note that if you have not been touched by breast cancer or have a loved one impacted, you can still use your voice in the fight against breast cancer.
Why Your Voice Makes a Difference
Even though you may not be currently directly impacted by breast cancer, that does not mean that you cannot use your voice to make a difference. There are multiple ways that you fight against breast cancer including performing a self-exam and encouraging others to do so as well, talking to your doctor about the risks of breast cancer and speaking with your family about the magnitude of breast cancer, as well as the likelihood you will develop it.
Using your voice to advocate for breast cancer awareness can help you and your loved ones stay proactive about your health and allows you to take your well-being into your own hands. Using your voice to be a part of a bigger movement can be both emotionally and physically fulfilling in the long run.
Speaking with Your Family About Breast Cancer
It is extremely important to speak with your family about the significance of breast cancer, so you can learn if it runs in your family. Getting an idea of your family medical history allows you to take the necessary steps you need to protect yourself. For example, if you have an aunt that had breast cancer, it is possible you can qualify for genetic testing. These tests can pick up on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene that you may have inherited from your family members. Knowing this information and sharing it with your medical professionals can help you create a plan with your health in mind.
It is incredibly important to speak with your family regarding self-examinations and the frequency in which they practice self-exams. Encouraging your family members, male or female, to perform regular self-exams in the shower can help detect breast cancer in its earliest forms. Support can allow individuals to feel empowered and motivated to make changes and be consistent with a routine.
Remember to encourage them to speak with their doctor if they feel or see any abnormalities in their breasts!
Speak Up with Your Doctor!
It is important that you get into a regular cadence of going to your doctor for your annual exams. Doing so will allow your doctor to exam your body and look for abnormalities, such as lumps in your breasts. During your annual exams, it is imperative that you speak with your doctor about the self-exams that you are performing, any changes you have experienced since you saw them last and how you can take the necessary precautions to remain as healthy as possible. Your doctors’ appointments should be a safe haven for you to be able to address any concerns that you have regarding your breasts or overall general health. Do not be afraid to bring something to your doctor’s attention! Speaking up now could help save your life in the long run.
Use Your Voice for the Voiceless
American Cancer Society has hundreds of ways for you to get involved in your local community by giving back to those who are affected by breast cancer. Whether it is volunteering for a local walk, signing a legislative petition or raising money with friends and family, using your voice counts! By advocating for those impacted by breast cancer, you are helping families and individuals more than you know. Finding ways to get involved and supporting those who need it most mean more to them than you may ever know.
