Seeing pink during cancer awareness month

By Zachery Lashway
The pink ribbon is the national icon of breast cancer awareness. The month of October is breast cancer awareness month, therefore, during the month of October it is not a surprise pink ribbons and the color pink are found on many products and articles of clothing to express support for men and women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
From convenient stores to department stores the pink ribbon can be found on bread bags and milk cartons, saline solution and tubes of toothpaste and even shirts, socks and book bags have the emblem embodied on the material.
Aside from the pink ribbon emblems found on many products in the North Country, the Foundation of the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital hosts the annual Girls Night Out event along with other cancer awareness programs.
“The Girls Night Out event is held in Glenn Giltz Auditorium at Plattsburgh State University. This was our eleventh year hosting the event. The event starts off with an educational component then followed with an inspirational speaker,” said Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialists, Ellie Collins.
Collins also said the program originally was aimed at only breast cancer, however, as the program became more popular discussions on colon cancer, smoking and like this year’s discussion on nutrition evolved.
A huge hit of the Girls Night Out event is the Boobie Sister’s. The Boobie Sister’s are a group of breast cancer survivors that sing and make fun of conditions related to the disease said Collins.
The American Cancer Society also sponsors many breast cancer awareness programs in the North Country as well. Among those programs are the Look Good…Feel Better program, the Reach to Recovery for Women program, the Man to Man program and the most celebrated program of all, the Relay for Life.
According to the American Cancer Society the Look Good…Feel Better program gives women cancer patient’s beauty tips to look better and feel good about how they look during chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Community Executive, Joan Sterling said, “Women who participate in this program get a free wig, a makeup kit valued at $250.00 and tips on how to look good and feel better. Women who cannot participate at the time the program is offered can have the supplies mailed to them and can arrange an appointment with a local cosmetologists. It really is a great program.”
According to the American Cancer Society’s website, men who have breast cancer can receive a self-help brochure that gives information on how to look good and feel better during the time they receive treatment. The brochure provides men with information on how to deal with the treatment’s side effects and how they change the way they look, as well as steps to help men with their daily skin and hair care routines.
Sterling said the Reach to Recovery for Women program connects women cancer survivor’s with women that have been recently diagnosed with cancer.
“It is a great opportunity for women to connect to talk and share their experiences about cancer. There’s also a program called Man to Man that is just for men to connect with other men and talk about their cancer experiences, conditions, struggles and life with cancer.”
According to the American Cancer Society the Relay for Life is an event that allows people all over the world to celebrate the lives of people who have cancer, remember loved ones that we lost to cancer and fight back against cancer.
Sterling said, “Relay for Life is not only a fundraiser but it raises awareness as well.”
As for detecting the disease Radiologists, Dr. Jeffrey Buran of CVPH Medical Center said there are many different ways to detect breast cancer.
“There are different ways to view it, and there are different ways to find it,” he said. “In mammography it appears as an irregular asymmetric density, using ultrasound the cancerous tissue is darker ill-defined and in MR it appears as an asymmetric mass.”
According to Buran from last October to this October 89 women and one man a year at the most have been diagnosed with breast cancer from the Women’s Imaging Center.
“Ninety-five percent of them are curable,” he said.
Curable or not, it is never easy to tell a patient they have cancer.
“I try to make it as positive as I can. The cancers we usually find are small so I really stress that part, but it still is never easy,” Buran said.
Mary Snide a mammographer at CVPH’s Women’s Imaging Center said they screen more patients in the month of October because it is breast cancer awareness month.
“There’s so many reminders out there – something pink, there are ads all over, so for women who forgot to get screened there’s reminders all over,” said, Snide.
The month of October has a higher diagnosis rate of breast cancer than other months.
“It’s a statistical thing, statistically if you screen more patients you will get more cancers,” said Snide.
In 2009 the American Cancer Society estimates 1,479,350 new cancers will be diagnosed in the United States, including 101,550 in New York. Of those, 562,340 people will die from cancer nationwide and 34,190 people in New York will die.
According to the American Cancer Society eight individuals each week will be diagnosed with cancer in Clinton County and three individuals will die each week. Four cancer sites represent 52.2 percent of all new cancer cases and 48.7 percent of all new cancer deaths in Clinton County. This is estimate is based on average annual cases and deaths from the 2002-2006 New York State Department of Health’s State Cancer registry.
According to the American Cancer Society, lung and bronchus cancers account for 17 percent of all cancer cases and 30 percent of all cancer deaths. This shows how important the need for tobacco use prevention is. Prostate cancer accounts for 12.1 percent of all cancer cases and 4.3 percent of all cancer deaths. Female breast cancer accounts for 11.5 percent of all cancer cases and 5.3 percent of all cancer deaths and colorectal cancer accounts for 11.5 percent of all cancer cases and 9 percent of all cancer deaths.
All percentages of cancer cases and cancer deaths in Clinton County supersede percentages of cancer cases and cancer deaths than any other county in New York.
Barb LaDuke knows firsthand about cancer statistics. LaDuke is a breast cancer survivor and recalls when her doctor told her ‘you have cancer’.
“Cancer is a very scary word. It’s the uncertainty of not knowing… it makes you think more about relationships and that tomorrow is not promised to anyone,” LaDuke said.
John Kowalowski a colon cancer and lymphoma survivor said he was a little scared when he was diagnosed.
“It scares you at first, I was right in the fog but it didn’t bother me too much, I took it as another step in life. But you do have to be positive about it, take it one day at a time. I just trusted in the Lord…Having cancer gave me a better attitude on life, I appreciated everyday more.” Kowalowski said.
LaDuke said men and women with the disease should be vigilant.
“You have to be your own advocate,” said LaDuke.
Agreeing with LaDuke was the advice Sterling gave.
“Be your own advocate, don’t be afraid to ask questions, but don’t make yourself crazy checking every website under the sun. If anyone has any questions or concerns regarding cancer call 1-800-227-2345 this is the American Cancer Society’s number and lines are open 24 hours day seven days a week.”