Ugh, breast cancer. Just hearing those words make me anxious. Fortunately, I have not had breast cancer and hope I never will. I wish the same for you. I think breast cancer is a fear that most women share and unfortunately, a lot of the sisters in the sisterhood have had it.

Thirty years ago, hearing the words “you have breast cancer,” was a death sentence. Today, it’s not the case. Thanks to medical advancements, the number of women dying from breast cancer has been decreasing every year since 1990.* However, approximately 285,000 women will be diagnosed with some form of breast cancer this year.* That’s why the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation needs us to participate in the Health of Women (HOW) study.

Even though progress has been made, there is still little known as to its causes. The majority of women who get breast cancer have none of the known risk factors. This tells us that despite all the research that has been done, we still do not know what causes breast cancer or how to prevent it. It also tells us that we need to look more broadly for hints we may have missed in the past. Women of all ages, with or without breast cancer, are needed to participate.

HOW is an online study, with the goal to get to the root of breast cancer. Getting to the root will provide information that will ultimately enable us to practice preventative measures in the future. Check it out and help the sisterhood. Fuel up and have a super week!

(Want to share your breast cancer perspective this month? Send your blog, no more than 350 words, to contact@shetaxi.com.)

*http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics.jsp