Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I have followed Sara's lead and put a button on my sidebar. It is linked to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Go have a look!

My mother is a breast cancer survivor. Fortunately they found the cancer at an early stage and she has fully recovered. She did opt for a dual mastectomy, though. I think it was for her own peace of mind.

I have known so many other women who have suffered through this, some more fortunate than my mother and others not quite.

I am ever so thankful to all the researchers and medical staff who have labored so hard to help women like my mother who have faced this disease. If you can, think about offering some support. For those of you in the US, it can even be by purchasing stamps at your local post office or online.

And while this is predominantly a women's illness, men suffer from it too (as macho as you think you may be, you still have breast glands under those nipples on your chest). So all you guys out there, in addition to your monthly testicular exam (testicular cancer is the topic for a different time), be sure to learn about how to perform a self-exam on your chest as well. Since most men don't do this, when it does develop it is usually caught too late. Consequently survival rates are much lower among men than women.

Good health to all!

[Just realized that the stamp link requires a cookie that will time you out. So clicking it will eventually send you to the post office page. To get the Breast Cancer Awareness stamps I was talking about, go to the post office website, then move your mouse over the "Stamps by Subject" label on the sidebar. A menu will pop up, click on Social Awareness. One of the choices on the new page will be the Breast Cancer Awareness stamp.)