An Army of Women

Today, I joined an army: the Love/Avon Army of Women.

The goal is to recruit one million women of every age, ethnicity, and breast cancer risk/status to be available for participation in research studies. The focus of the studies is to learn how breast cancer begins, and then seeing what can be done to prevent it. We have been very successful in finding breast cancer at its earliest stages (my tumor was 2mm, and appeared only as a cluster of microcalcifications (white spots) on a mammogram). Now, we need to go one step further!

So, why not have actual women (instead of lab mice) volunteer to partner with researchers examining the cause(s) of breast cancer? It is a real opportunity for myself and others to take action and change lives. Women who join the Army are e-mailed about studies that need volunteers, and women who match the study criteria respond to the initial e-mail if they're interested in participating. Responding doesn't ensure participation, as all possible candidates must be screened. No one can be forced into joining a study; it's purely voluntary.

Dr. Susan Love is an eminent breast surgeon and author. I read "Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book" before I was officially diagnosed, and I learned everything I needed to know about what I might possibly face as a breast cancer patient. I have immense respect for her dedication to the cause, and this blog has a link to her Research Foundation's informative and helpful website. So, when I found out that she was the force behind this movement, I wanted to be a part of it.

Currently, almost 300,000 women have signed up at the Army of Women website. Just click on the widget at the right of the page to check it out and read about your chance to participate in the effort to prevent breast cancer from ever happening. I know that I would like to do whatever I can to ensure that its days are numbered. This is a real chance for "average" women to really make a difference in others' lives.