Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October, as we all know, is Breast Cancer Awareness month. All of us know at least one woman who has battled breast cancer. Many of us have lost a family member, friend, or co-worker who battled breast cancer. It’s a beast of a disease, but together we can not only fight breast cancer, we can work to eradicate it.

At 27, one of my close girlfriends called me with devastating news. She'd been informed she had breast cancer. The moment she detected a lump in her left breast, she immediately made an appointment with her OB/GYN. Her doctor told her, “Oh, it’s probably nothing; you are only 29.” Six months later she was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer by another doctor.

Today, with the carcinogens and toxins in our foods, breast cancer can strike women in their teen years. Forty is no longer the magic number. We must teach our daughters and young women in our lives to know their bodies. This Fall season, I am challenging all women to teach at least two young women in their family how to do a breast self-exam and to call four close girlfriends to ask “Sistah, have you done your monthly exam?” Let’s become very diligent and intentional caring for our health as well as the health of our sisters and sistahs.

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."- Jim Rohn