One Woman Will Die Every 13 Minutes

By Teresa Holloway
Messenger Reporter
PALESTINE – October is breast cancer awareness month, but already far too many women –and men, and children, and families – are aware of the disease.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States, and more than 440 men will succumb to the disease every year.
One woman will die every 13 minutes from breast cancer. The fact is staggering and frightening. Estimates are 246,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year. More than 40,000 of those will die.
Breast cancer in men is rare, but an estimated 2,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 440 of those men will die, many from a disease they were unaware their bodies could contain.
“So you can ignore the problem, or you can fight,” The Paint Palestine Pink Foundation decided to fight.
The non-profit agency was formed in 2010 and began providing grants for mammograms and other diagnostics for breast cancer.
So far, the foundation has provided more than 1,000 grants for recipients who need mammograms or other detection methods.
It all began as an idea, an effort to promote awareness for the deadly disease. It quickly became an opportunity to help detect cancer early. The earlier the cancer is detected, the better the chances of survival.
The Paint Palestine Pink Foundation recently expanded its diagnostics to cover all cancers and will be providing grants to eligible citizens of Anderson County and surrounding counties very soon, according to Tina Kinabrew, MBA and co-founder of the organization.
Part of that fight takes place in October when Paint Palestine Pink holds their annual fundraiser.

“All proceeds stay local, there are no CEOs to pay, we operate on a volunteer basis,” Kinabrew said.
This year’s event will be held on October 1 at Texas Oncology on Loop 256 in Palestine. “This event is paramount to the ability of our foundation to provide grants for the diagnostics and treatments in the upcoming year. It is especially important with the expansion of the diagnosis to cover all cancers.
“We are holding a 10.5 mile walk/run, a 5K and a 1.5 mile walk. All these proceeds stay here,” she said.
“I don’t want being diagnosed to be an issue for our community. The first line of defense against this horrible disease is early detection. If I cannot cure it, I want to help battle it.
“I worked for Texas Oncology for 11 years and saw first-hand what waiting can do,” Kinabrew said.
The facts are heartbreaking, and no one should go without detection services.
According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer claims the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year. It’s not discriminatory. Rich, poor, developing or third world countries, modern countries … all have victims who die from the disease in numbers far too large.
Paint Palestine Pink and organizations like it have directly contributed to the good news about breast cancer.
Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, partly due to better screening and early detection, increased awareness and continually improving treatment options.A gradual reduction in female breast cancer incidence rates among women aged 50 and older has coincided with the prescriptive hormone replacement therapy after menopause.
Part of the awareness factor lies in understanding the changeable causes and those which aren’t changeable.
Most risk factors for the disease cannot be avoided, unfortunately. Things like a family history of breast cancer, certain genetic markers, dense breast tissue, age, gender and race cannot be changed, though according to WHO, can be understood and planned for.
Those risk factors which can be avoided should be, according to the health organization. Lack of physical activity, smoking, poor diet, overweight or obesity, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle habits may increase cancer chances or contribute to the development of a tumor.
Awareness and assistance, prevention, early detection, better treatment options and even lifestyle changes have directly contributed to the number of breast cancer survivors in the United States.
There are more than 2.8 million survivors in the United States alone. Together, Paint Palestine Pink and the generous community participation in the once-yearly fund raiser can add to that number.
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