Think Pink

On Feb. 28, Pink Shirt Day will be celebrated across Alberta, and particularly in school classrooms.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Canadian women, and is the leading cause of cancer death in less developed countries, according to the Canadian Cancer Society (cancer.ca). Data shows more than 680,000 breast cancer deaths occurred worldwide in 2020.

Navigating cancer treatment is a challenge unlike any other. Medical professionals often advise cancer patients to lean on their support systems during treatment and heeding that advice can make it easier to manage the ups and downs that arise when being treated for cancer.

Efforts to educate women about breast cancer have helped raise awareness of the disease and just how treatable it is when detected early. Despite that, a diagnosis can still be difficult for women and their families.

Millions of women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Such a diagnosis is never welcome, but women should know survival rates have improved dramatically in recent decades.

Once a person is diagnosed with cancer, his or her physician will try to determine how far the illness has progressed, including whether or not it has spread to other areas of the body. This effort is known as “staging.” Each cancer has its unique staging characteristics, and breast cancer is no different.

It’s not uncommon for people to experience a range of emotions upon being diagnosed with cancer. Fear, sadness and even confusion are just a few of the feelings people may experience after receiving a cancer diagnosis.

Many women are concerned about the potential for developing breast cancer in their lifetimes. Breast cancer is the second-most common cancer among women in Canada (after skin cancers). Despite that prevalence, there are ways to reduce the risk for breast cancer.

No woman is immune to breast cancer. However, some women with extensive family histories of the disease may wonder if they’re more vulnerable to breast cancer than those without such a link.

Millions of people across the globe will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. In fact, only certain skin cancers affect more women than breast cancer within Canada.