According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., each year it is estimated that nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. The studies have also shown that men are also at risk, with an estimated 1,700 men diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 dying each year of breast cancer. 
On Tuesday October 2009, Moreno Valley Campus had a walk-a-thon to raise money for breast cancer awareness week. Nicki Campos, a student at Moreno Valley, participated in the walk. When I spoke to Ms. Campos she had stated that this walk was personal to her because of the fact that her older sister had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.
On Thursday October 22, 2009, continuing with the breast cancer awareness week, there was a luncheon in the quad to make students more aware of breast cancer. Ms. Debra White, a professor at the Moreno Valley Campus, gave her personal story on her fight with breast cancer.
Ms. White spoke to the students and staff about how on the day she found out she had breast cancer that all she could say was, “No, not me”. Seven years ago, she was diagnosed with stage one cancer. Even though she was only at stage one, the word “cancer” was an instant scare to her that she was going to die.
Ms. White endured radiation treatment and explained to us that it’s like having third degrees burns on your chest. The process and the treatments she went underwent were very painful. Through it all, she still continued to teach her speech classes. Her incredible strength and words of encouragement and the plea she made to every woman and man to self-check and to go get checked is highly important. 
Just in the last few days, confusion has been made with the fact that they are now saying that you do not need to have a mammogram until the age of fifty. The controversy over this new recommendation is being debated and ridiculed highly by many people in the health field.
I’m sure the debate will be ongoing for months to come. The best thing to do is keep doing the self-examinations. The guidelines have also changed for self-examinations.
They have now recommended that you lay down to self-examine instead of sitting up or doing it when you’re in the shower. This disease is a monster, and if you think it can’t happen to you, it can. So please follow what your body tells you, and be aware of any changes that happen to you.
