Hope & The Pink Swan Project for Breast Cancer

{Elissa Hudson’s Etsy Shop}

It’s October and that means it’s breast cancer awareness month. Did you know the two most important risk factors of breast cancer are being female and getting older? Did you know there will be over 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer this year? Did you also know nearly 40,000 people will die of breast cancer in 2011? Shocked?

It’s true, early detection saves lives. Here are breast cancer early detection guidelines by the American Cancer Society:

• Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health
• Clinical breast exam (CBE) about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over
• Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care provider. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s. Here are the five steps of a breast self-exam. Do not skip step #4.

And although there is no cure, here are recommendations for helping prevent the disease:

{image from cancer.org’s Breast Cancer Fact & Figures 2011-2012}

Is there hope for a cure? You bet. Research is advancing everyday. In September, we heard the news that a nondisease-causing virus killed human breast cancer cells in the laboratory which creates the potential for new therapies.

{swan chair by Madeline Weinrib}

This is why supporting breast cancer research projects is so important. There are a ton of “pink” promotions out there this month, but The Pink Swan Project is one of my favorites. Donated by Fritz Hansen, the  a series of swan chairs have been designed by 18 internationally-recognized designers including Madeline Weinrib, Jonathan Adler, Vincente Wolfe, Nate Berkus and Windsor Smith. Each chair will be auctioned off to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Throughout the month, a weekly rotation of chairs will be on display in the Gagosian Shop on Madison Avenue in New York City.

{swan chair by Vincente Wolf}

{swan chair by Jonathan Adler}

{swan chair by David Mann}

{swan chair by Windsor Smith}

{swan chair by Nate Berkus}

{swan chair by Jamie Drake}

Which is chair is your favorite?

And please do me a favor and feel your boobies this month.

Be well,

* references from Susan B. Komen and cancer.org

*this post is in loving memory of my grandmother {passed at age 46} & friend D {passed at age 41}