October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the 2for2 Boobs 8th Annual Line Dance for a Cause Breast Cancer Awareness Event. Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer that afflicts women, so it's important to be proactive by performing breast self-exams regularly and having mammograms as prescribed by your doctor. According to U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics, "about 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime." Also, the disease does not discriminate, since "about 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2019. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 883."
The organization that held the event I attended, founded by a 3x breast cancer survivor, is focused on educating women of all ages about the disease and giving survivors a platform on which to share their stories. It was a very moving event and one that I am happy to support.
It was also fun to participate in the line dancing social aspect of Saturday's event. I line dance regularly with a wonderful group of ladies, and we made it a point to represent. There were several local instructors on hand to teach some of the latest dances, and a DJ who kept the party going for more than five hours.
We all wore our pink to complement the pink ribbon that symbolizes breast cancer awareness, and seeing everyone on the dance floor made it a wonderful celebration of life. By the end of the day we were all ready to put our feet up, but our hearts were full after hearing so many amazing stories of courage and faith, and we were thankful to have been a part of this day.
To learn more about Breast Cancer, from prevention to being a survivor, visit the American Cancer Society website.