October is Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness Month

This month is Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I found there are other issues brought to attention this month as well, but I find the issues aforementioned are very secretive. Many people don't like to talk about certain issues, even illnesses, and as a result the numbers are rising in some areas. There could be numerous reasons why we don't speak about things. This needs to stop! So many people could very well be living healthier lives if we stopped living in shame or felt alone. Everyone has a right to have their stories heard and get the help they need. And if you go to someone and they won't listen, find someone who WILL!


With that being said I will give some quick tips/stats.



Breast Cancer:
 
90% Women with breast cancer who make it to the five-year survival mark. That's up from 63 percent in the 1960s.

82% Women who make it to the 10-year survival mark.

77% Women who make it to the 15-year survival mark. (This number reflects women who didn't have the benefit of recent screening and treatment strategies.)

54% Women who reach the five-year survival mark after becoming pregnant within six months of ending treatment. That number increased to 78 percent for those women who became pregnant between six months and two years after treatment.

1/3 Percentage of cancer deaths in the U.S. each year that are linked to poor diet and lack of physical activity, according to a study published in the January/February 2012 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.



Domestic Violence:

One in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime.

Between 600,000 and 6 million women are victims of domestic violence each year, and between 100,000 and 6 million men, depending on the type of survey used to obtain the data.

Nearly three out of four (74%) of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence.

On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day.

Studies suggest that between 3.3 - 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.

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Found the beautiful  ribbon at this site that also has more information. Please check it out: http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/02/07/advice-for-komen-try-pink-and-purple-ribbons

Sources:  


http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-09-26/health/sc-health-0926-bc-stats-20120926_1_breast-cancer-survival-mark-national-cancer-institute

http://www.dvrc-or.org/domestic/violence/resources/C61/