October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year, sadly, I have a friend who has recently started chemo for breast cancer. It’s not surprising, I suppose, when you think about the numbers, but it would preferably be a disease in our distant memory. As it stands, according to the CDC: in 2014 236,968 women and 2,141 men in the United State were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 41,211 women and 465 men in the United States died from breast cancer.
Thinking back, I have known several people who have had this disease. Thankfully, the treatments and the survival rates have improved greatly over the years. As for my friend, she has a great support system and a positive attitude. I believe those are key components in conquering any struggle.
With most things in life, knowledge is power, and this is no exception, so I thought I would suggest a few books from the DBRL collection to help you educate yourself about breast cancer. First things first, you will want to perform breast exams on yourself monthly and follow your doctor’s instructions regarding mammograms. In the meantime, we have books covering the genetics of breast cancer, several guides for survivors, and books for families. Here are a few that are of particular interest:
- “Pandora’s DNA” by Lizzie Stark
- “Stop Breast Cancer Before It Starts” by Samuel Epstein
- “The New Generation Breast Cancer Book” by Elisa Port
- “Bald Is Better With Earrings” by Andrea Hutton
- “Breast Cancer Surgery and Reconstruction” by Patricia Anstett
- “The Breast Cancer Cookbook” by M. R. S. Keshtgar
- “Pilates for Breast Cancer Survivors” by Naomi Aaronson
- “Husband’s Guide to Breast Cancer” by Todd Outcalt
