As the breast cancer awareness month begins, I wanted to share a brief story about my personal experience with a family member fighting breast cancer. 

It was two years ago when my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer. I’ve always thought that breast cancer was an idea far away from me, but everything changed when someone I loved dearly was diagnosed with it. Not only was it heartbreaking to see how cancer damages a person’s mental and physical health, but also how helpless their family members feel when their loved ones are undergoing chemo and other procedures. 

Soon I learnt that my grandma was not alone. Based on information from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in the US alone, more than 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed per year affecting both men and women.  Additionally, breast cancer also has a 2.5% rate of mortality, making it the number one leading cause of death among middle-aged women topping the chart. This shocking data has often made me wonder what can I do to help people like my grandma to combat cancer, and I believe that Breast Cancer Awareness month is a wonderful campaign to increase awareness and contribution of community members in order to help more women in need. 

For instance, foundations such as NBCF (National Breast Cancer Foundation) donates large amounts of money for all steps of combating cancer such as screening, education, support and general fund. Nevertheless, other foundations such as Susan B.Komen for the cure  and The DONNA foundation all help with families and patients affected by breast cancer. 

In conclusion, breast cancer was never an individualized issue, as patients from  continue to face the possibility of developing breast cancer over the course of their life, it is important for everyone to recognize and contribute to their best ability in order to prevent disease from hindering our lives.