Sydney Grossman/ Roundup
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
If using Pierce College as the sample pool that means an estimated 1,680 women from Pierce will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the end of the 2010.
Breast cancer is not only a manageable disease if caught early—it’s preventable.
A poll done by the Roundup on the Mall last week, found that 73 out of the 150 people polled knew it was Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Of those who knew, they admitted it was only because of having family who have either died or battled the disease.
Pierce is not doing its job to educate and offer outside resources to the campus.
Daily talk shows, television commercials, grocery stores and other schools have promoted the importance of this month.
At CSUN, an information booth had been set up to hand out ribbons, T-shirts and informational packets full of statistics.
Early detection is easy and effortless if the proper means are offered and accessible. Learning how to check for early signs of cancer is life saving.
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2010 there will be an estimated 207,090 cases of invasive breast cancer in women and 54,010 cases of non-invasive breast cancer in women.
Out of the 261,100 cases this year, nearly 25 percent of those will die.
People need to be educated. Breast cancer can be found in both women and men alike.
An easy blood test can determine if someone is carrying the BRCA gene, the genetic mutation that increases or decreases the chances of having breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
Pierce needs to step up and inform the community on campus. With no cure available, it’s important to provide information on what precautions everyone should be taking.
Breast cancer organizations, hospitals and doctor’s offices have materials ready to hand out and provide to the community.
A booth on the mall, printing hundred of flyers full of statistics to post around campus and offering both a hotline and step-by-step instructions to check for lumps could be a start.
In addition to flyers and facts, speaking to a survivor or a family member of someone who has died from cancer is equally important.
Relay for Life and Revlon are two organizations that can help Pierce bring people and doctors to speak at the Great Hall.
A panel can be set up so that a Q & A session can be implemented. This type of a lecture is both engaging and informational.
Regardless of how Pierce wants to promote Breast Cancer Awareness month, it needs to be done. The faculty and administration now have one year to plan.
When it comes to education, Pierce should be doing all it can to inform on all matters—especially those that are life threatening.
(Sienna Jackson)