Make a Difference this Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease.

According to breastcancer.org, about 12% of U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. In 2017, an estimated 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 63,410 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.

Just last week, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus shared in a statement on social media: “1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one…”

A disease that affects so many people in our country should be talked about as we can be a part of effective fundraising and awareness that can truly make a difference.

This October, pink ribbons will be donned, marches will be walked, fundraisers will be held. What will you be doing to join the fight against breast cancer in a tangible way?

Send love and encouragement to those who have fought or are valiantly fighting this disease. Go to get a Mammogram or encourage your loved ones to.

Possibly, the most important way to get involved is to give to charities that make a difference. Below are some top-rated charities in research. There are plenty of organizations doing truly great work in breast cancer awareness and research, so do some research and give where you feel drawn.

Join a fundraiser like Sarasota-Manatee’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on October 28th.
Sign up: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=84707&pg=entry

The Dr. Susan Love Foundation invests in research that focuses on understanding the causes of breast cancer and received Charity Navigator’s top rating for its standards of accountability and transparency for donors.

California Breast Cancer Research Program funds research and education, and devotes 50% of its research fund to work that focuses on the environmental causes, risk factors, protective measures, and the impact of income inequality.

The Pink Fund provides short-term financial aid to breast cancer patients who have lost all or part of their income during active treatment. The Pink Fund also helps cover patients’ health insurance costs, mortgage payments, utility bills, car insurance and other basic living expenses.

photos from pixabay, and courtesy of Julia-Louis Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) on Twitter